Longitudinal gastrectomy involves removing most of the stomach (its body) transforming it from the bag into a narrow tube. This saves all the physiological stomach valves (cardiac sphincter and pylorus) and remains it fully functional. Through this operation the amount of food consumed is limited to 100 ml resulting in a reduction of excess weight on 50% average.
Usually longitudinal gastrectomy is performed using endovideosurgical operation, with the use of “Da Vinci” robot the operation is accompanied by minimal blood loss and traumatization of surrounding soft tissues, which not only reduces the risk of complications during surgery, but also significantly reduces post-operative and recovery periods.
Removing the part of a stomach — one of the most common and popular operations for weight loss because it provides more comfortable nutrition for patients and gives stable and effective result.
Robotic longitudinal gastrectomy is usually performed for patients whose body mass index (BMI) higher than 35. Body mass index is calculated according to the formula: weight (in kilograms) divided twice by height (in meters). Patients undergoing this operation must follow a certain diet and within 2 months after can take normal food.
Bariatric surgery — when doctor reduce patient’s weight surgically — in Russia is not new, but to do it with the help of a robot — the first time. During the operation the surgeon receives 3D-image of the surgical field with a 10-fold increase. Seven degrees of movement freedom of robotic surgical tools allow to manipulate accurately and without damaging the nerve branches and blood vessels.
The patient didn’t have a lot of cajoling, when explained the benefits of the “iron specialist” — minimizing blood loss and tissue trauma- she gladly accepted the reasons and fell under the knife of multiarmed surgeon.
Before the operation surgeons of Federal Almazov Medical Centre met with reporters to give comments on the operation and “da Vinci” robot:
Valery Danilin explains the original purpose of the robot — performing operations at a distance:
—“The patient is taken to medical center, robotic system set up; the surgeon sitting at the console is in another city and carries out this operation by the robotic method”.
For Russia this is the third longitudinal gastrectomy performed with the help of the robot, the first such operation was carried out also in St. Petersburg. A similar operation took place in Moscow. Russia has only six systems “da Vinci”: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Khanty-Mansiysk.