Medical Reports: Modern Medicine

WSVN -- It may look like a robot from a Hollywood movie, but it's not.

Veronica Motrinec: "I found it intriguing because it was going to be so precise. I thought that with medicine advancing so much lately, that I was willing to go ahead and take that risk."

And she took that risk of having a robot perform her surgery after being diagnosed with a urethral obstruction.

Veronica Motrinec: "I was eager to try this procedure out. Especially just because it was going to be less invasive for me."

Jay Manne, also turned to modern medicine after doctors told him he had prostate cancer.

Jay Manne: "It was enough of a shock just to know that I had cancer. To have go through a lengthy recovery period didn't appeal to me, so I was very comfortable with the idea of using the robot."

It's called Da Vinci, a one-of-kind, 3-D robotic system, helping doctors perform surgery in hard-to-reach areas.

Dr. Raymond Leveillee: "The fine motor movements, and the five degrees of freedom do even better than a human hand could."

Doctor Leveillee sits about 10 feet away from the operating table. He uses foot pedals and hand controllers to direct the robot.

Dr. Raymond Leveillee: "The instruments themselves do various functions. They will either grab something or cut something."

The benefits of having this minimally invasive surgery include less blood loss and a quick recovery time.

Jay Manne: "I was able to walk, I'd say, within 12 or 14 hours."

And small scars.

Dr. Raymond Leveillee: "It does look almost like chicken pokes right now, but I think with time it's going to fade, and you shouldn't see it very much."

But the Da Vinci is not for everyone.

Dr. Raymond Leveillee: "The most common one that we do here is removal of the prostate for prostate cancer, reconstruction of the kidney for instructive problems and blocked urethral tubes."

Veronica recommends the robotic surgery to anyone who needs it.

Veronica Motrinec: "I think it was a very positive experience. I was out of the hospital in about two days."

And thanks to both doctor and robot, Jay is now cancer free.

Jay Manne: "I'm more active than ever and feel wonderful and extremely grateful that this technology existed at this time and at this point in my life."

Diana Diaz: The Da Vinci robot is being used in major centers across the U.S., including Jackson Memorial Hospital.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:Dr. Raymond Leveillee
Professor and Chief of Endourology & Laparoscopy of the UM Miller School of Medicine
305-243-6630
1-800-380-2554
rleveill@med.miami.edu

Da Vinci Surgical System
www.davincisurgery.com