September 13, 2007 — Novare Surgical Systems announced the successful completion of the first Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) gallbladder removal procedures performed using RealHand HD instruments.
Santiago Horgan, M.D., professor of surgery and director of minimally invasive surgery, and Mark A. Talamini, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at UC San Diego Medical Center performed the surgery on a 42-year old San Diego resident. Her gallbladder was removed through the vagina during a 1.5 hour procedure.
UC San Diego Medical Center is the second U.S.-based hospital to perform transvaginal NOTES and the first to employ a unique technique that requires only one additional small incision placed through the belly button. This procedure received approval for a limited number of patients by UC San Diego's Institutional Review Board (IRB) which oversees clinical research.
RealHand HD instruments also were utilized in two recent transvaginal NOTES procedures that Dr. Horgan successfully completed under an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at the University Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
"We are extremely pleased with what we have been able to accomplish thus far and see this as an important milestone in offering patients surgical therapies that present the potential for swifter recovery, less scarring and less post operative pain," said Dr. Horgan. "The RealHand High Dexterity (HD) instrumentation was absolutely critical and allowed us to obtain the necessary mobility and control to effectively perform these operations," continued Dr. Horgan.
NOTES is an emerging surgical approach which aims to utilize the body's natural openings, such as the mouth, rectum or vagina as a conduit for an operation. Dr. Horgan's transvaginal NOTES procedures were the first such cases that only two surgical ports were necessary: one in the belly button and another through the vagina, thereby hiding any visible scaring.
For more information: www.novaresurgical.com