Vall d'Hebron performs the first pancreatic tail resection with the Da Vinci robot

This intervention is about the first surgery of this type that takes place in the hospital. With this minimally invasive technique, there is a better range of movements of surgical instruments than using a laparoscopic technic.

The latest generation Da Vinci robot (Xi) consists of three main elements. A surgical console, where the surgeon is located, who controls the surgical instruments from here using two manipulators and pedals. The view from the console allows the surgeon to see the operative field in three dimensions. Thanks to this vision, the surgeon can move the instruments inside the patient with much more precision. The robot also includes the patient's car, which has four mobile arms that intervene directly on it and that translate the movements of the surgeon's hand, extending the range of movement of the instruments; and the viewing tower, which allows to visualize the surgery through cameras that offer an image in high definition. In addition, the arms and camera that enter the patient are only 8 millimeters in diameter. This new robot also incorporates a fluorescent imaging system called "Firefly" that allows a very accurate localization of the correct vascularization of the tissue, very useful in the preparation of the anastomoses.

The Hepatopancreatic Surgery and Transplantation Surgery Service of Vall d'Hebron is organized into two sections: a section devoted mainly to liver surgery and liver and intestinal transplantation, and another aimed at pancreas surgery, in both cases minimally invasive techniques are developed advanced.