What is Single Port Robotic Surgery?

UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Dr. Jonathan Rippentrop, urologist from Physicians' Clinic of Iowa are once again pioneering robotic surgery utilizing single port (SP) robotics – as the first and only hospital in the state with this technology – adding it in 2019.

The da Vinci Single Port SP, was initially released to a limited number of hospitals in the world. At St. Luke’s the da Vinci SP is used for certain urologic procedures including prostatectomies and nephrectomies.

With the da Vinci SP surgeons operate using one small (about one inch) incision before deploying the robot’s surgical instruments through a single port. The ability to enter the body using a single port enables surgeons to perform more complex procedures. This minimally invasive surgery improves patient outcomes and recovery time. This is particularly noticeable in cancer cases, where surgeons can now access more narrow spaces without compromising precision.

To operate using the da Vinci surgeons use a special console with hand and foot controls to move the robot arm and manipulate the surgical instruments. A small, 3D-HD flexible camera helps surgeons see and perform the surgery. The robot translates the surgeons’ natural hand motions at the control console into corresponding movements of the robotic instrument.

Prior to the implementation of the da Vinci SP, a robotic prostatectomy surgery typically involved five to six dime-sized incisions in the patient’s abdomen to insert the minimally invasive instruments. Prior to robotic surgery, patients would undergo open surgery, which required significantly larger incisions and a longer recovery period. Patients that have robotic surgery can resume normal activities in a matter of weeks rather than months.

Dr. Rippentrop has been a pioneer in robotic surgery and was one of the first surgeons to operate using the surgical robot in 2005, when St. Luke’s was the first hospital in Cedar Rapids to acquire the system.

Surgeons at St. Luke’s perform 15 types of minimally invasive procedures. The robots are used for general, gynecology and urology surgeries at St. Luke’s.