Adventist Health Castle | Windward Health | Summer 2021

WHAT CAN ROBOTIC SURGERY DO FOR YOU? Surgery can be a scary prospect, but it doesn’t have to be. Learn more about robotic-assisted surgery at Castle: AdventistHealthCastle.org/Surgery . ce and innovation of the da Vinci ® Xi Neuroscience care at Castle Kevin G. Kimata, MD Sarah T. Graner, MD Terry K. Shimamoto, MD Neurological diseases comprise the third largest world health concern after heart disease and cancer. This is why our Adventist Health team works hard to provide you with the most comprehensive care and advanced treatments for neurological disorders. Melvin H.C. Yee, MD Neurosurgical support 24/7 Adventist Health Castle’s neurosurgery specialists diagnose and treat a broad spectrum of disorders and trauma affecting the brain, spine and nervous system, including treatment of brain and spine tumors, fractures, pain issues and deep brain stimulation for movement disorders. Should a neurological emergency arise, there is always a neurosurgeon on call for the ER, 24 hours a day. Like most of our surgical specialties, minimally invasive solutions are always the goal. Valuable tools like the Cranial Stealth Navigation System aid surgeons in performing the most accurate and least invasive procedure possible through a small incision in the skull. Like the GPS in your car, this system provides a real-time “map” of the brain and, with robotic assistance, guides the surgeon through the planned procedure to produce precise results while minimizing damage to healthy tissue and bone. Dr. Yamaguchi, who now uses robotic assistance in more than 90% of his nonemergency intra-abdominal procedures. “Robotics is pushing surgical technology forward, and the da Vinci ® Xi—a fourth-generation system—brings significant refinements to robot- assisted procedures.” Don’t be misled by the term robotic , however. Surgery is not performed by a robot in the surgical suite but by a surgeon at a console just feet away from the patient’s bedside. The “brain” of the da Vinci system is the vision tower, a highly intuitive component that translates the surgeon’s hand and wrist movements in real time as he or she directs an advanced set of tiny “wristed” robotic instruments through one or a few small incisions. The da Vinci system bends and rotates the instruments like a human hand but with a greater range of motion and precision than a surgeon can achieve in traditional laparoscopic procedures. The flexibility of these instruments is a distinct advantage. The da Vinci system also enhances a surgeon’s view of a surgical area deep inside the body. A tiny camera at the end of a robotic instrument provides a high-definition, 3-D view of the area and magnification not possible with the naked eye. “Robotic-assisted surgery is a really effective use of technology to improve laparoscopic surgery,” says Dr. Yamaguchi, “The da Vinci system’s increased precision and visualization takes that technology to the next level, helping us achieve better patient outcomes.” WINDWARD HEALTH | 5