Rabin Medical Center recently began performing the most advanced technology for prostate surgery, using the da Vinci robotic surgical system. This innovative robotic system, which cost 2.5 million dollars, was purchased by the hospital thanks to a generous donation that was matched by the hospital.
The Urology Department at RMC's Beilinson Hopsital is headed by Prof. Jacque Baniel, a renowned urological surgeon. The largest urology department in Israel they are considered leaders in prostate surgery and perform 1/4 of all the radical prostate surgeries in the country.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer of the male population over the age of 50 and similar to the statistics for women with breast cancer, one of every eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. In Israel about 2,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, 1/3 of whom will require surgery. Using the da vinci robotic system, we are able to perform three dimensional prostate surgeries without opening the abdomen, causing much less post surgical pain, a faster recovery period and a smaller scar.
Prof. Jack Baniel: "We are extremely proud that we are now able to provide our patients with the most advanced pioneering prostate surgery available worldwide. Thanks to the new robot technology, prostate surgery advances to a new level for the welfare of the patient and in the future the hospital will also be able to use the robot for various surgical procedures".
The RMC team of doctors and surgeons underwent training on the da vinci system in leading medical centers in the U.S. as well as specialized training in an advanced surgical center in Strasbourg which also included the operating room nurses.
The da vinci robot was originally developed in the USA to meet the need for remote operations, such as in the case of wounded soldiers and astronauts in space, allowing the surgeon to perform a surgical procedure without human intervention, as accurately as possible. Today it is seen as an innovative tool for many surgical procedures.
More than 30 urological surgical procedures have already been successfully performed at RMC using the robot, not only for prostate surgeries but for other urological procedures such as partial removal of the kidney to remove a malignant tumor.
Pictured: from L to R: Prof. Jacque Baniel, Head of the Urology Department at RMC's Beilinson Hospital and Dr. Ofer Yossepowitch, head of the Uro-Oncology Service