Minimally Invasive ENT Surgery Available at Northside Hospital
Northside Hospital is first in Atlanta to perform Robotic Transoral Surgery
Northside Hospital continues to lead the way in robotic surgery in Atlanta. The hospital has expanded its robotic surgery program to include Transoral Surgery (TORS), performing its first two cases – tongue base cancer resection and lingual tonsillectomy – on Sept. 10. Northside is only the second hospital in Georgia – the first in Atlanta – to offer this minimally invasive technique for ENT surgery.
Used in a growing range of specialties including ENT, thoracic, urology and gynecology, da Vinci™ computer-assisted robotics technology enables surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures, while preserving and improving the visualization techniques of open surgery.
“This translates into less pain and discomfort, faster recovery and a better quality of life for patients with tumors and airway abnormalities that require surgery,” said Andrew Golde, M.D., ENT surgeon, who performed the first two robotic TORS cases at Northside. In addition, patients benefit from minimal scaring, shorter hospital stays and a quicker return to normal speech and swallowing.
At Northside Hospital, a leader in providing state-of-the-art surgical services, more robotic procedures are performed than at any other Georgia hospital. The hospital ranks in the top 5 percent of all robotic GYN programs and in the top 10 percent for robotic prostatectomy programs in the country. Northside was one of the first hospitals in Atlanta to obtain this innovative technology, which is available at only a handful of hospitals in the Southeast.
Robotic TORS is perhaps the most effective minimally invasive surgical treatment for diseases of the head and neck available today. The da Vinci™ Surgical System allows the surgeon to provide the patient with procedures equivalent to traditional transoral surgery, but with the advantage of 3D high-definition visualization of the surgical site, and the precision and versatility afforded by robotic instrumentation.
However, it’s not just the state-of-the-art technology that leads to better outcomes, but the surgical team’s experience that is important. Northside’s Advance Center for Robotic Surgery consists of a team of highly trained surgeons, robotic operating room nurses and surgical technologists, who have worked together for years, bringing a superior level of teamwork and skill to the patients who seek robotic surgery at the hospital. Experience, teamwork and expertise, with state-of-the-art technology, work together to achieve the critical level of success needed to optimize use of robotic technology.
“I am excited about being at the cutting edge of robotic surgery,” said Dr. Golde. “I see this technology making extraordinary leaps forward in the next five years, completely altering how we perform surgery in the entire upper airway.”
Learn more about Northside's Robotic Surgery Services.
