The Hadassah Medical Center’s surgeons have successfully performed 39 operations assisted by the da Vinci® robot.
This number includes:
*19 urological procedures, the majority being prostatectomy
*10 general surgeries (esophagus, stomach, donor kidneys, rectum, and pancreas)
*9 gynecological procedures (hysterectomy and oopherectomy)
*1 ear, nose, and throat (ENT) procedure
As Dr. Yoav Mintz, head of Hadassah’s Robotic Assisted Surgery Service, explains: “The da Vinci® is a computer system meant to seamlessly replicate the movement of the surgeon’s hands with the tips of microinstruments. It is not designed as autonomous and has no decision-making software.” (See the November 2009 Hadassah International eBulletin for Wendy Elliman’s Hadassah Magazine article on the da Vinci®.)
