Researchers reviewed and compared intraoperative and post-surgical factors for 16 RRHs and 32 ORHs, procedures performed between August 2004 and June 2007. Researchers found that although the surgeries took longer, patients who underwent RRH had less blood loss compared to those who had ORH procedures. Patients who had a RRH also had shorter hospital stays after the surgery compared to patients who had ORH. The complications both during and after surgery for both RRH and ORH were comparable.
New technologies now allow surgery to be performed with less impact on patient quality of life. As the trend toward minimally invasive surgery grows, robotic assisted surgery has become an appealing tool for gynecologic oncology surgeons. However, to date, there is little data to confirm the benefits of this technology. Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) compares robotic radical hysterectomy (RRH) using the DaVinci robot to classically performed open radical hysterectomies (ORH) in patients with stage I and II cervical cancer. Researchers found that RRH results in lower blood loss and shorter length of stay compared to ORH.
Feltmate said, Although the time spent performing the operation in RRH cases was longer, this was reduced over time as surgeons and staff became more familiar with the procedure and the technology. This robotic assisted approach deserves further exploration to evaluate the full potential and application of RRH.
For more information about BWH, please visit http://www.brighamandwomens.org
