Robotic Assisted Radical Hysterectomy a Canadian First

In February 2008, London Health Sciences Centre's (LHSC) surgeons became the first in Canada to perform a robotic-assisted radical hysterectomy, a breakthrough surgical accomplishment that dramatically reduces recovery time, pain and complications for women requiring the surgery.

Gynaecologists Dr. Dominique Lanvin and Dr. Akira Sugimoto, who specialize in gynaecological cancer surgery at LHSC, performed the landmark procedure. The robot provided the surgeons with a 3D-view of the surgical field and full manoeuvrability of the instruments by way of easy-to-use joystick controls. In fact, the da Vinci robot performs actions normally difficult or impossible by hand, says Lanvin.

Radical hysterectomies are most commonly performed on women with cervical cancer, which affects about 1,300 Canadian women each year. It is an extensive procedure involving the removal of the uterus, cervix, top part of the vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, lymph channels and tissue in the pelvic cavity that surrounds the cervix.

The standard radical hysterectomy requires a hospital stay of several days for the patient, followed by weeks, even months, of recovery time. Recovery from a radical hysterectomy using the da Vinci robot requires only a two-day stay in hospital, with a full recovery within two weeks.

It also opens the door to unique teaching opportunities, adds Dr. Monique Bertrand, Head of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario. "The technology, early advancements with its use in London, and the capacity for physicians across the city to work collaboratively will enhance training for today's surgeons and those of tomorrow."

There are seven da Vinci robots in Canada, including two in London. London Health Sciences Centre acquired its da Vinci robot in 2003. Since then, the robot has been used in one world, two North American and five Canadian firsts at LHSC, most recently in the first Canadian gallstone surgery and the first Canadian totally endoscopic closed-chest robotic bypass surgery, both in 2007.