Elaine S. Larson Surgical Center Campaign - Allina Health

obotic removal of Uterine fibroids
jeannette Wittrock’s story
During her annual physical exam, Forest lake resident Jeannette Wittrock
talked with her family physician about her heavy, long menstrual bleeding.
She had uterine fibroids, noncancerous tumors of the uterus, a condition
that often runs in the family. Her symptoms were severe enough to
warrant surgery, so her doctor referred her to gerald Cunniff, MD, a
surgeon who specializes in the robotic treatment of uterine diseases.
Robotic surgery is performed using the advanced technology known as the
da Vinci ® Surgical System. The surgeon sits at a console and uses hand
and foot peddles to control four robotic arms that hold micro-instruments
and a miniature camera. The surgeon views the surgery through a
3-dimensional camera that magnifies the view 10 times.
The advantages of the robotic-assisted surgery are improved accuracy,
precision and control for the surgeon and reduced pain, discomfort, blood
loss and side effects for the patient. Studies have shown that roboticassisted
surgery has better outcomes than traditional open surgery.
“The primary advantage of robotic surgery is that it is less invasive,” says
Dr. Cunniff, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Allina Medical Clinic –
Parkview OB/gYN in Eagan, Minn. “Because it is less invasive, recovery
time is greatly reduced. In a traditional open procedure, the patient
typically stays in the hospital three to four nights and then has a six-week
recovery before she can return to work. With the robotic procedure, the
hospital stay is usually overnight, and she can return to normal activity in
two to three weeks.”
Surgical treatment for uterine fibroids can include myomectomy, removal
of the fibroids themselves, or hysterectomy, removal of the uterus, if the
condition is severe. Because of Wittrock’s condition and symptoms, a
hysterectomy was recommended.
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SURgICAl CENTER CAMPAIgN
Patient’s Story
Gerald Cunniff, Md
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