The Wolfson Effect

Thanks to Wolfson Family Charitable Trust, Hadassah offers cancer surgery, which is not only better, less invasive with quicker healing but helps patients who were previously inoperable.

Hadassah’s newest robotic surgical system – “the da Vinci SI” purchased thanks to the support of UK Donor the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust is now being used by our surgeons in three departments so far:

(a) Department of Urology, primarily in the field of uro-oncology, including surgical procedures involving the kidneys, prostate, and bladder.

(b) Paediatric Urology and Reconstructive Urology to correct congenital conditions in the upper urinary tract

(c) Department of Gynaecologic-Oncology to treat endometrial cancer. It has now opened up new areas of cancer surgery that were previously inoperable.

Da Vinci IV Surgical Operating System

Dr. Vladimir Yutkin, one of the primary surgeons using the robot, reports that “robot surgical systems” are a must when it comes to these types of surgeries. Robotic surgery has rapidly become the gold standard for urologic surgeries, as well as for oncologic and reconstructive kidney surgery. Patient benefits include shorter hospital stays, reduced pain and discomfort, and faster recovery times. The smaller incisions made possible by robotic technology reduce the risk of infection, blood loss and transfusions, and minimize scarring. Robotic surgery provides for a far greater range of instrument motion than traditional laparoscopic surgery, while also affording a greatly magnified 3D high-definition view of the surgical area.”

In October 2021, the surgeons in the Department of Gynaecologic – Oncology performed their first surgeries using the da Vinci SI. The first case involved an elderly woman with a pre-malignant lesion in the cervix. Four hours post-surgery, the patient walked the wards pain-free and was discharged 15 hours later.

The second case was a patient weighing 150kg (BMI 55) with endometrium cancer who was rejected by another hospital because of her weight. She underwent endometrium cancer staging using the Da Vinci SI and was released home 18 hours after the operation. The patient returned to work 4 days later.

In the coming weeks, robotic surgeries are planned in the Department of Gynaecologic-Oncology. The first is a case of endometrial cancer in a woman with a BMI of 35 and a fibrous uterus, while the second is a case of high-grade endometrial cancer in a woman weighing 130 kg.

Presently, the Department uses the da Vinci SI surgical system in overweight women with a diagnosis of endometrial cancer. In the near future, the system will be used for the treatment of complex pelvic masses and cases of challenging anatomy such as an enlarged fibroid uterus.

On the horizon we foresee using the robotic system in cases of ovarian cancer. The use of the robotic system is expected to allow for a minimally invasive surgical technique precisely for women who until now have had to been operated on with an open surgical approach. Using the da Vinci will change the lives of these women and allow them to quickly return to normal living activities, as was the case with our first two patients.

Arcadis Avantic Imaging System

We are presently in the process of purchasing an ICG (Indocyanine green) system. Indocyanine green is a fluorescent dye that allows deep signal penetration and minimal interference of tissue autofluorescence. This technique has found wide application in surgical oncology.

Dr. Liron Kogan, a senior surgeon from the Department notes that “with the introduction of the ICG system into Hadassah, we anticipate rapid growth in the use of the da Vinci SI surgical system.

The goal is to turn Hadassah into a centre of excellence that will concentrate complex cases from all over Israel and guide doctors from other centres, as well as lead with a minimally invasive robotic approach that is both innovative and accurate, in all areas of gynaecologic oncology.

“Our new da Vinci SI Surgical System was only made possible by the magnanimous support of the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust who have partnered with us in a variety of critical projects for more than six decades assisting us to make this world a better place through medical advances, technologies, and state-of-the art facilities.

As we say, “you don’t have to be a doctor to help save lives.”