Pediatric Da Vinci Surgery

FAIRFAX, Va. (WUSA) -- To Kelly Le, a small robot was operating on her chest; to the rest of the medical world, it was a new and promising technology.

When doctors found a mass in Kelly Le's heart region, she was looking at an invasive thoracic surgery and weeks of recovery time.

Instead, the seven-year-old was able to leave the hospital the next day. It's all thanks to the revolutionary da Vinci robot, and Kelly's was the first pediatric surgery in the area to use it.

"I think da Vinci allows better visualization, greater magnification and really more dexterous manipulation in small spaces," says Dr. Stephen Kim, who performed the surgery.

Kelly's operation came after doctors found a growth in her right chest on an X-Ray. Its location made it difficult to get to, but immediate action was needed before it posed a serious health risk.

As Kelly's aunt, Van Pham, describes, "You couldn't tell she was sick at all, she just had a little bubble in there that they had to fix. They said that it could cause a really big infection, so they had to do it as soon as possible."

The computer assisted surgical system allowed Dr. Kim, of Inova Fairfax Hospital, to access the growth more easily. He could perform a minimally invasive and safer procedure, with the same successful result.

"It allows very small incisions between 8 millimeters to just over a centimeter; that's the main value, is doing a safe procedure and faster and quicker recovery," said Dr. Kim.

This is especially important in pediatrics. Smaller patients mean smaller spaces and a smaller room for error. The accuracy of the da Vinci makes it an attractive alternative to standard invasive surgery. However, its use is broader than just pediatrics. According to Dr. Kim, more and more fields are trying to take advantage of da Vinci's benefits.

"Right now, I think the most popular use for it is in neurology. I believe gynecology is getting involved, general surgery is getting involved, because I think the technology is very helpful."

There is a catch. With over a million dollar price tag, plus yearly maintenance, the da Vinci technology is too expensive for most hospitals to adopt. But as more benefits are being realized, robotic surgery may be the future of medicine.