Robotic Surgery

Our experienced surgeons have specialized training in using advanced robotic systems to perform minimally invasive surgical procedures. At UT Southwestern Medical Center, patients have access to the latest robotic surgical systems and our skilled surgical teams for treatment of a wide range of conditions and injuries.

Expertise in Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery is minimally invasive surgery in which surgeons use a computerized system to perform complex procedures with greater precision and visibility. It uses smaller and fewer incisions, and fewer stitches than traditional open surgery.

During minimally invasive procedures, our surgeons use a laparoscope (thin, flexible tube with a lighted camera) and miniaturized instruments inserted through small incisions to access the treatment area. In robotic surgery, surgeons use the computerized system to control mechanical arms that hold a camera and the surgical instruments to perform laparoscopic surgery.

Ideally suited for working in small, tight spaces inside the body, the sophisticated robotic system operated by our specially trained surgeons overcomes some of the limitations of traditional open surgery and conventional minimally invasive surgery. The robotic arms have a greater range of motion than human hands and wrists, providing more flexibility for complex, delicate procedures. The stereoscopic monitor provides surgeons with a 3D, high-definition, magnified view for lifelike visibility, depth, and detail.

Robotic surgery offers patients less pain, fewer complications, and a faster return to normal daily activities.

Our skilled surgeons are some of the most experienced in the nation. At UT Southwestern, our robotic surgery team’s accomplishments include:

• The first robotic single-incision (through the belly button) kidney removal in North Texas and the first single-incision kidney drainage reconstruction in Texas, performed by Jeffrey Cadeddu, M.D.
• The first robotic single-incision ovary removal in North Texas, performed by Mayra Thompson, M.D.
• The first transoral (through the mouth) robotic procedure in Dallas to remove throat tumors, performed by Baran Sumer, M.D.
• The first robotic lung tumor procedure and the first chest wall resection in North Texas 

Our surgeons have helped advance the field of robotic surgery in many unique ways:

• Kemp Kernstine, M.D., performed several of the first robotic chest procedures and techniques, including the first published robotic oncologic esophagectomy (surgery to remove cancer from the esophagus) in the world. He has become one of the highest volume robotic thoracic surgeons in the country, providing outstanding results.
• Ellen Wilson, M.D., is one of few in the region who performs robotic tubal reversal, a procedure to reconnect a woman’s fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries to the uterus. Tubal reversal restores fertility after tubal ligation, a procedure to cut or block the fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy.
• Herbert Zeh, M.D., an innovator and leader in the field of pancreatic diseases and pancreatic cancer, has performed more Whipple procedures for pancreatic cancer than anyone in the U.S.

Our robotic surgery team includes specially trained nurses and physician assistants. Understanding all aspects of robotic surgery, this elite team has specialized training in patient care before, during, and after robotic surgery.

Options for Robotic Surgery

Our highly trained surgeons use robot-assisted surgery in several specialties, such as:

• Bariatric surgery
• Cancer surgery
• Colorectal surgery
• Endocrine surgery
• General gastrointestinal surgery
• Gynecologic surgery
• Head and neck surgery
• Heart valve surgery
• Hernia repair surgery
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery
• Reconstructive urology
• Thoracic surgery
• Transoral robotic surgery
• Urologic surgery

Our dual-console robotic platforms not only help train the next generation of surgeons in robotic surgery, but also allow two skilled surgeons to operate simultaneously on one patient. These systems are available at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.