The Galway Clinic is delighted to announce the establishment of the first robotic surgery unit for the treatment of prostate cancer in Ireland. Prostate cancer is the most common solid organ tumour diagnosed in men in the Western world and there were over 2,000 cases diagnosed in Ireland in 2005, with over 500 deaths. If discovered early, prostate cancer is completely curable by using surgery, radiation therapy or brachytherapy.
The most exciting advance in surgery in the last decade has been the introduction of robotic surgery for the treatment of prostate cancer, now being practised in over 400 centers worldwide. The Da Vinci robotic system places a computer interface between the surgeon and the patient, allowing technology to refine and assist the actions of the surgeon. The introduction of the Da Vinci robotic system allows the surgeon to perform minimally invasive, or ‘keyhole’ surgery with much greater levels of accuracy and precision than with traditional open surgery, via very small incisions. Originally developed by NASA for operating on astronauts in space from earth and the Department of Defence in the USA to operate on soldiers in the battlefield, this technology imparts significant advantages in the performance of this challenging operation. These include:
- 10 times magnification of vision giving a much better appreciation of the delicate structures present.
- 7 degrees of freedom of movement of the robotic arms, which means that the robotic arms, controlled by the surgeon, are more dextrous than even the human wrist.
- Blood loss which averages 10-20% of that seen in open surgery.
- Blood transfusion rates less than 5% of those seen in open surgery
- Post-operative length of stay of approximately three days, significantly less than open surgery Cancer control rates which as good as, and in some cases better, than with open surgery due to the ability to perform minute surgical movements more accurately than previously.
- Early return to full post-operative continence In certain international studies, potency rates are as high as 90% compared to approximately 50% or less in open surgery.
- Elimination of any tremor in the surgeons hand movements, allowing for extremely precise surgical movements Downscaling of movements allowing for the surgeon’s hand movements to be replicated exactly to scale but at a much more minute level.
The Da Vinci system in the Galway Clinic will be operated by our two full time urologists on staff at the Galway Clinic, who have spent 4 years training in robotic surgery in the Royal Melbourne and Epworth Hospitals, Australia in the first unit in the Southern Hemisphere to perform robotic surgery which is one of the leading units in the world in this type of surgery. Mr. O'Malley (091-720108)_& Mr. Boucher-Hayes (091-720154) are both fellows of the Australian Institute of Robotic Surgery and are the only two urologists in Ireland fully trained in robotic surgery. They have both presented and published internationally on the subject. Future developments with the Da Vinci system include the introduction of robotic heart surgery.
The Galway Clinic is committed to providing comprehensive medical care for the patients of Ireland and the introduction of this, the most advanced surgical system in the world, considerably enhances the treatment options for prostate cancer, adding to our existing therapies of surgery, radiotherapy, brachytherapy as well as our surveillance and diagnostic commitments. The Galway Clinic has consistently sought to introduce cutting edge medical technology to the West of Ireland and with this major investment, we continue with this commitment.