Women & Infants offers virtually scarless gynecological surgery

PROVIDENCE – Women & Infants Hospital became the first hospital in the region to offer women virtually scarless gynecologic surgery with the use of Single-Site instrumentation with its daVinci surgical robot, hospital officials announced on Aug. 21.
The technique used in the surgery, which involves one tiny incision in the woman’s navel, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is more advanced than the traditional four-incision robotic technique used to date, hospital officials said. Previous FDA approval had only covered single-site gall bladder surgery.
“We are thrilled to announce that the first successful case of single-site surgery has been completed at Women & Infants,” says Dr. Charles Rardin, director of the hospital’s Robotic Surgery Program for Women and director of minimally invasive surgery for Care New England. “This technology enables the surgeon to operate through a small incision in the patient’s navel,” Rardin said. “In a matter of weeks, the scar is virtually invisible, which gives our patients one of the most cosmetically appealing surgical results possible.”
Since the FDA approval in late spring, only a few programs nationwide are using single-site technology for gynecology cases. In New England, the only other facility offering the technology to women is Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.
The new instrumentation is one of the latest additions to the daVinci surgical robot line at Women & Infants. This technology allows all the instruments for surgery, including a three-dimensional camera and two surgical instruments, to pass through a single incision. The more slender instruments, along with the benefits of robotic assistance, promise to
“This technology allows us to keep pushing the limits on minimally invasive surgery and improved patient outcomes,” Rardin said.