Robotic Cancer
Domenico Savatta, M.D.
Chief Of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Adult Urologic Surgery
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center- Newark NJ
1st robotic urologic training course instructor on the daVinci S robot in the northeast
UPJ Obstruction and Robotic Pyeloplasty
Urine normally drains from the kidney into a tube that carries the urine down to the bladder called the ureter. This area of drainage is referred to as the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ). People can be born with a blockage that progresses later in life or develop a blockage from stones or scar tissue. Eventually this condition can lead to loss of a kidney.
There are many treatments for UPJ Obstruction. The treatments consist of dilating the UPJ, cutting the UPJ with lasers or cautery instruments, or repairing it surgically. The success rates vary from 25% to 95% depending on the form of therapy, with surgical reconstruction giving the best cure rates.
Robotic Pyeloplasty gives comparable results to the open version and is performed through 4 incisions that are only 1/2 inch or less. The high resolution magnification allows an extremely precise repair.
We have had patients play competitive basketball 3 weeks after Robotic Pyeloplasty surgery.
