What is Robotic Surgery?

Robotic surgery provides patients with a minimally invasive operation option through the use of robotic arms which serve as a surgeon’s hands and eyes. Robotic surgery benefits include shorter hospital stays, faster recovery time and easier pain management.

Robotic surgery was introduced to the Buffalo-Niagara region in 2004, when Roswell Park became the first facility in the region to offer this state-of-the-art technology to patients with prostate cancer. In 2005, Dr. Khurshid Guru came to Roswell as the Director of Robotic Surgery.

  • Dr. Guru is one of a select group of surgeons who have completed a fellowship in robotic-assisted surgery under Dr. Mani Menon, considered the “father” of robotic surgery, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
  • By 2008, the percentage of robotic surgery operations for kidney, bladder and prostate cancer increased from 50 to 95 percent.
  • Robotic surgery is now an option for many patients with gynecologic, thoracic and gastrointestinal cancers, as well as some non-cancerous conditions.
  • In addition to almost 900 surgeries for prostate cancer, Roswell Park has performed more cystectomies (removal of the bladder) than any center in the world.