Francisco Civantos, center, performs robotic removal of throat cancer at University of Miami Hospital. OR technician Michel De La Cruz, left, assists.
April 09, 2010 — Miami — Surgeons from the Department of Otolaryngology at UHealth ? University of Miami Health System have performed the first removal of throat cancer in South Florida using a surgical robot. The procedure represents a milestone in UHealth's development of minimally invasive endoscopic procedures for treatment of head and neck cancers. The operation was performed March 22 at University of Miami Hospital by Francisco Civantos, associate professor of otolaryngology and member of the Head and Neck Cancer Site Disease Group at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Giovana Thomas, associate professor of otolaryngology and member of the Head and Neck Cancer Site Disease Group at Sylvester. They were accompanied by Raymond J. Leveillee, professor of urology, who is an experienced urologic robotic surgeon. Traditional surgery for various head and neck cancers requires large incisions extending from the lip, across the chin, and to the neck before entering the mouth or throat. Surgeons often need to cut through the lower jaw and move aside vital nerves to gain access to the back of the mouth and throat. By contrast, surgeons using the da Vinci Surgical System insert slender instruments into the mouth to reach the base of the tongue, tonsils, and throat.
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