London surgeons have become the first in the world to operate through a patient’s mouth using the Versius robotic device.
A team of doctors at Guy’s and St Thomas’ used the Versius robot, which has previously been used to treat urology patients, to remove tumours growing in the mouth.
The less invasive approach, known as transoral robotic surgery, can speed up the patient’s recovery time. While the technique is well established, it has not been performed before with Versius.
But following a groundbreaking research project, six patients have been treated using the robot including Barbara Jones, 75, from Upminster. The grandmother of three had two benign cysts removed from her throat.
She told the Standard: “When I first heard that I was going to be operated on by a robot, I told my son ‘R2-D2 is doing my surgery’! I knew nothing about robotic surgery before, but it’s remarkable what they can do. It feels strange to be one of the first people to have this but I was more worried about going into hospital and getting rid of the pain. It feels a lot better now.”
Before the rollout of transoral robotic surgery, surgeons would typically have performed bigger, more invasive operations with a longer recovery time.
For some patients, the minimally invasive approach can mean they need smaller doses of further treatments like radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or it may result in them avoiding the need for additional treatments altogether.
The Versius robotic system consists of four modular robotic arms which are operated by surgeons. Medics control the instruments while sitting at an open console in the same room with a 3D HD view. One of the robotic arms controls a camera, to see inside the patient.
Ms Jones was operated on by Guy’s and St Thomas’ robotic head and neck surgery lead Asit Arora along with Jean-Pierre Jeannon, head and neck consultant surgeon. Mr Arora said: “The Versius robot uses miniaturised surgical instruments that are perfect in such a small operating space.”
Guy’s and St Thomas’ has six robots operating across six specialties: urology, thoracic, head and neck, gynaecology, transplant and gastrointestinal.
