Linz hospital uses robots in nearly half pancreatic operations

Nearly half of all pancreatic operations at the Ordensklinikum Linz hospital are now performed with robotic assistance, ORF reported. The minimally invasive method is used particularly for tumours in the head of the pancreas and is intended to help patients recover more quickly.

The hospital carries out more than 100 pancreatic procedures each year, according to its own figures. Almost half are performed with the support of a da Vinci surgical robot.

Surgeons control four instrument arms and a three dimensional camera from a console, while another member of the team works directly at the operating table. The procedure, known at the hospital as RoboLab, combines robotic and laparoscopic surgery.

Pancreatic head resections are considered especially demanding. The operation removes the part of the pancreas where about 60 percent of tumours develop, according to the hospital. Surgeons make several small incisions instead of one large abdominal incision.

“Wound healing and general recovery are considerably faster and involve fewer complications than with open abdominal surgery,” said Helwig Wundsam, head of the surgery department at the hospital’s Barmherzige Schwestern location.

The most difficult stage is the reconstruction after the tumour has been removed. The small intestine, bile duct and remaining part of the pancreas must be connected again. The operations initially took about eight hours, but the team can now complete them in around five and a half hours if no complications occur, Wundsam said.

Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. According to current figures, about 1,900 people die from it in Austria each year. The disease is often detected late because its symptoms remain nonspecific for a long time.

The Ordensklinikum Linz says it is Upper Austria’s oncology lead hospital. Its cancer centre treats more than 3,500 patients each year, and the hospital says it plays a leading role across Austria in treating prostate and pancreatic cancer.