Fox Chase performs the world’s first successful ViKY robot-assisted surgery for pancrea...( PHILADELPHIA (March 24 2009)This mon...),Health

PHILADELPHIA (March 24, 2009)This month Fox Chase Cancer Center performed the world's first successful minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy using the ViKY system's revolutionary robotic, compact laparoscope holder. The technology, developed in France and tested on thousands of patients in Europe, made its debut in a cancer setting in the United States this week at Fox Chase.

"Fox Chase is among only a handful of institutions worldwide using robotics or laparoscopy to treat patients with nearly all types of cancer," says Robert G. Uzzo, M.D., F.A.C.S., chairman of the department of surgery at Fox Chase. "The use of technology, like the ViKY system, reinforces our Center's commitment to excellence in minimally invasive surgical techniques for the care of patients with both benign and cancerous conditions."

Fox Chase surgeon Andrew A. Gumbs, M.D., who specializes in minimally invasive hepato-pancreatic and biliary (HPB) surgery, explains, "This system is so versatile that surgeons like me are able to use it for many different laparoscopic procedures, including those in the gastrointestinal, urologic, thoracic and gynecologic regions."

Typically with minimally invasive procedures, like a laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, surgeons use both hands to manipulate the surgical tools and need an assistant to manipulate the endoscopea thin, lighted tube equipped with a camera that allows the surgeon to view the surgical field.

Gumbs performed this first ever ViKY assisted minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy on a 65-year-old man who was diagnosed with two pancreatic cysts, one of which is potentially cancerous. Pathologists are currently evaluating the cyst.

"The new ViKY robotic laparoscope holder acts as an extra hand during surgery, giving me stability and steadiness," adds Gumbs. "The view of the surgical field is critical, so ViKY's pinpoint accuracy helps me perform more complex procedures laparoscopically
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