OSU Expert to Lead Global Robotic Urology SymposiumPosted 4/6/2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio – More than 200 surgeons from across the country and abroad will be at the Ohio State University Medical Center for the first World Robotic Urology Symposium on Friday and Saturday.  | Vipul Patel, M.D. | Dr. Vipul Patel, one of the world’s foremost authorities on robotic assisted surgery, will lead the two-day educational event that emphasizes teaching surgical techniques and key concepts of robotic urologic surgery.Reporters are invited to “test drive” the latest model robot available – the da Vinci S – during the conference at the Wexner Center on the OSU campus. Reporters can try to master the same “skills drills” surgeons attempt during training. Patel, who specializes in treating prostate, kidney and bladder cancer, will perform two live robotic prostatectomies at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. The surgeries will be broadcast to the symposium site at the Wexner Center. The conference also will feature panel discussions and lectures by some of the world’s leading educators in robotic urologic surgery.Patel, director of the OSU Center for Robotic and Computer Assisted Surgery, has performed more than 1,000 robotic-assisted prostatectomies. He is one of only two people worldwide with such expertise. “By hosting this symposium, The Ohio State University Medical Center is taking the lead in training the next generation of robotic surgeons,” Patel said. “Our experience positions us well in educating future robotic surgeons.”Further cementing its place as an emerging leader in the field of robotic prostatectomies, OSU Medical Center recently purchased a second robot to help handle the ever-increasing numbers of prostate and bladder cancer patients. OSUMC is one of the first hospitals across the country using the new robot system that improves surgical options for prostate, kidney and bladder cancer. The refrigerator-sized robot with arms of steel offers patients the advantage of tiny, computer-directed instruments to help surgeons perform precise and delicate suturing. Just a few keyhole-sized incisions, rather than a major incision in the abdomen, are needed to accommodate the miniaturized robotic instruments.# # #
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Contact:Eileen Scahill
Medical Center Communications
614.293.3737
eileen.scahill@osumc.edu |