Friday, September 03, 2004

Dr. Joseph Chin performs a radical prostatectomy with assistance from
CSTAR's four armed da Vinci robot at the University Campus of London
Health Sciences Centre.

For the first time in Canada, a patient has had his prostate removed
with the help of a robot. ItÕs another first in research for CSTAR
(Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics) and its four-armed
da Vinci robot, one of only 11 in the world.
The robot was used throughout the surgery to complete a radical
prostatectomy, which is the surgical removal of the prostate and
standard treatment for selected patients with prostate cancer - the most
common form of cancer in Canadian men.

The surgery, performed by Dr. Joseph Chin, and assisted by urologists
Dr. Stephen Pautler and Dr. Patrick Luke, was completed April 2 at the
University Campus of London Health Sciences Centre. At a console several
feet from the patient, Dr. Chin was guided by the da Vinci robotÕs
3-dimensional imaging and removed the prostate by manipulating the
robotic arms, which were inserted through small 2-inch incisions in the
lower abdomen.

The surgery is part of a pilot study at CSTAR that will evaluate the
role of surgical robotics in the management of prostate cancer.
Researchers also hope to determine if robotic-assisted surgery will lead
to faster recovery of urine control and reduced risk of erectile
dysfunction, which are common in patients who have their prostate
removed.

"Due to the fact that this surgery was robotic-assisted and minimally
invasive, the patient can expect a faster recovery, less post-operative
pain and less blood loss," says Dr. Joseph Chin, chief of urology at
London Health Sciences Centre, associate scientist with Lawson Health
Research Institute, and chair of the division of urology at The
University of Western Ontario. Chin adds, " For the surgeon, the robot
provides much better visualization, magnification, and improved
dexterity, which all translates into greater surgical accuracy overall."

"When the surgeon first talked to me about being operated on with the
help of a robot, I was a little apprehensive, but when I actually saw
the robot just before my surgery I was fascinated by it," says the
patient, Archie Laidlaw of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The 63-year old
dentist also says, "I have had a great recovery, much faster than I
thought, and that has allowed me to return to work much sooner."

Research at CSTAR is supported by grants from the Canada Foundation for
Innovation and the Ontario Government.
CSTAR is a collaborative research program of London Health Sciences
Centre and the Lawson Health Research Institute, and is affiliated with
The University of Western Ontario. CSTAR occupies the top two levels of
the new Legacy Research Pavilion at the University Campus of London
Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario.
Debbie Neufert is in Media Relations at London Health Sciences Centre
and Jayne Graham is Manager, Communications and Public Relations at
Lawson Health Research Institute.     

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional    
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."