News Releases

Surgeons Use Robotics to Remove Thymus Gland

Houston, Texas, June 10, 2004 — Earlier this month, Memorial Hermann Hospital surgeons performed the first robotic removal of the thymus gland in Texas using the daVinci™ Robotic Surgical System. Through three pencil-size incisions, cardiothoracic surgeons Eyal Porat and Sebastian Bourgeois, assisted by robotics coordinator Peter Herrera, removed the thymus gland of a 59-year-old Houstonian who suffers from myasthenia gravis.
   

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder affecting over 36,000 Americans. The disease may affect any voluntary muscle and muscle weakness varies greatly among patients, ranging from a localized form, limited to eye muscles, to a severe or generalized form in which many muscles are affected.

Because abnormalities of the thymus gland, which lies in the upper chest area beneath the breastbone, are associated with myasthenia gravis, thymectomy — surgical removal of the thymus gland — is recommended for most patients. The conventional surgery involves splitting the breastbone and requires an intensive care stay of 24 to 48 hours and 10 days in the hospital.
   

“Prior to the introduction of robotic surgery, patients with myasthenia gravis endured invasive surgery similar to open-heart surgery. The patient’s sternum had to be separated, exposing the patients to possible infection and prolonged recovery,” said Dr. Porat. “Patients wouldn’t recover for six to eight weeks.” In this case, however, the patient sat up in a chair in his room less than two hours after surgery and that evening he was able to eat dinner. Less than 48 hours after surgery, he was at home.

Memorial Hermann Hospital’s daVinci™ robotic surgical system, manufactured by Intuitive Surgical, is FDA approved for a number of procedures including heart valve repairs, coronary artery bypass grafting and pericardial procedures as well as several general surgery and urologic procedures. In robotic-assisted surgery, mechanical surgical tools are inserted through very small incisions called ports. While seated at a console equipped with a three-dimensional magnified viewfinder and manual robot controls, the surgeon performs the procedure. The robotic arms, which are inserted into the ports, follow every move of the surgeon: cutting, clamping and sewing with greater dexterity, superior surgical precision and increased range of motion.

Memorial Hermann Hospital has two daVinci™ robotic surgical systems. One system is being used clinically for a variety of surgical procedures, while the other has been used to establish the Memorial Hermann Institute for Cardiovascular Research and Robotics Technology. This training and research center opened in January 2003 and has already trained numerous surgical teams from around the country. It is currently the second largest training site for robotic surgery in the nation and the only one in this part of the country. Besides establishing Memorial Hermann as a training center for robotic technology, the research center allows the Memorial Hermann physicians to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking technology.

For more information about robotic technology, call 713-500-5304.

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