Although robotics is making leading-edge surgeries a reality, the outcome of the procedures ultimately depends on the surgeon’s skills. Our surgeons are part of one of the largest, most experienced and highest volume robotics programs in the country.
Working with greater precision, increased range of motion, improved dexterity, enhanced visualization and improved access, robotics equips surgeons to take their skills to the next level. With a multidisciplinary team of nurses, operating room staff and anesthesiologists, and as part of a comprehensive robotics program, our extensive robotics experience is why Ohio State is the first choice for even the most complex cases.
As the first freestanding cancer hospital in the Midwest, the OSUCCC - James is home to a multidisciplinary team of specialists whose expertise runs deep and wide. Patients have access to cutting-edge, comprehensive care; in a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center – one of just 41 in the United States.
Base tumors
Surgeons at Ohio State collaborate across disciplines using a revolutionary approach to reach and remove skull base tumors. Internationally known endoscopic surgeons Ricardo Carrau, MD, professor of otolaryngology and director of the department's cranial base surgery program, and Daniel Prevedello, MD, associate professor of neurological surgery and director of Ohio State's minimally invasive cranial surgery program, pioneered an endoscopic endonasal procedure that removes skull-based tumors through the nose.
This technique has important advantages for patients:
- Avoids scars from facial or scalp incisions
- Prevents the need for a craniotomy and retracting the brain to reach the tumor, which reduces the risk of tissue swelling and of cognitive or personality changes that sometimes follow traditional skull base surgery
- Allows patients to typically recover faster and have shorter hospital stays
Surgeons work through both nostrils using an endoscope, and through the mouth with robotic-assisted instruments, to gain access to the base of the skull, intracranial cavity and top of the spine.
Pairing these techniques gives surgeons access to tumors that are difficult to reach, including those considered to be inoperable. This procedure provides a minimally invasive approach to managing conditions such as:
- Benign intracranial tumors (pituitary, adenoma, meningioma, craniopharyngioma and schwannoma)
- Malignant cranial base tumors (chordoma, chondrosarcoma, olfactory neuroblastoma)
- Benign cranial base disorders (encephaloceles, mucoceles, cerebrospinal fluid leak, osteomas)
- Benign sinonasal tumors (inverted papilloma, nasal polyps)
- Malignant sinonasal tumors (squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma)
Ohio State is one of only 10 centers in the country providing comprehensive care for skull base tumors. Patients have ready access to the core members of their team at one location, including their head and neck surgeon, neurosurgeon, reconstructive surgeon, and nurse practitioners as well as endocrinologists, ophthalmologists, speech and swallowing therapists and prosthetic experts, if needed.
Gastrointestinal Cancers
Ohio State surgeons began using robotics for gastrointestinal cancers in 2010 and, since then, have performed more than 50 operations using this minimally invasive approach. For patients with rectal cancer, surgeons cite the robot's ability to reach deep into the pelvis, combined with the camera's enhanced visualization, as significant benefits of robotics.
Cancer surgeons at Ohio State are expanding the types of gastrointestinal and abdominal cancers removed using robotic operations, including cancers of the esophagus, liver, pancreas, stomach and adrenal glands.
Gastrointestinal cancer surgery is one of many areas that have been transformed by our commitment to improving patient care through robotic surgery.