(LONDON, Ontario) - For the first time in Canada,
a patient has had his prostate removed with the
help of a robot. It’s 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 robot’s 3-
dimensional imaging and removed the prostate by
manipulating the robotic arms, which were
inserted through small 2-centimetre 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.
For more information, please contact:
Debbie Neufert
Media Relations, London Health Sciences
Centre
(519) 685-8500, ext. 74772
debbie.neufert@lhsc.on.ca
Jayne Graham
Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
Lawson Health Research Institute
jayne.graham@sjhc.london.on.ca
Visit CSTAR’s Web site at http://www.c-star.ca