For Immediate Release
Date: March 7, 2008
Contact: Charlene Wilkins
(703) 670-1236
Urologists Ek Lou, M.D., (left) and Pratik Desai, M.D., are now performing surgery at Potomac Hospital using state-of-the-art robotics.
Potomac Hospital is the first facility in the Prince William County to offer state-of-the-art robotic surgical technology to patients with prostate cancer.
Currently, urologists Pratik Desai, M.D., and Ek Lou, M.D., are using this technology to treat prostate cancer. It’s been successfully used in thousands of prostatectomies (the surgical removal of the prostate gland) world-wide.
This week Drs. Desai and Lou performed the first two surgical procedures with the da Vinci® Surgical System, which incorporates the latest advances in robotics and computer technology and provides physicians with a sophisticated new surgical tool.
“We are excited to offer this technology at Potomac Hospital,” said Dr. Desai. “Robot-assisted technology offers patients many benefits including shorter hospital stays, less pain and risk of infection, less scarring, faster recovery and a quicker return to normal activities.”
The da Vinci® System gives surgeons unprecedented control and three-dimensional views of the body’s anatomy. This means that surgeries that once required incisions can now be performed through tiny surgical openings. The robotic system operates through the surgeon, as an extension of his movements.
The system also provides full freedom of movement at its instrument tips, allowing precise operation in a closed chest, abdomen or pelvis.
“By enhancing surgical capability through the da Vinci® system, we are able to provide patients with better clinical outcomes so they can return to active, productive lives more quickly,” said Dr. Desai. “Overall, it’s an easier surgical experience for our patients.”
About Drs. Lou and Desai
Dr. Lou is a specially trained urologist with more than 30 years of surgical experience. His partner, Dr. Desai is fellowship trained in laparoscopic and robotic surgery and specializes in urologic oncology. Their office, Potomac Urology, is located in The Potomac Center, 2296 Opitz Boulevard, Suite 300, in Woodbridge. Telephone: (703) 680-2111.
About the da Vinci® Surgical System
The da Vinci® Surgical System is powered by state-of-the-art robotic technology. The System allows a surgeon’s hand movements to be scaled, filtered and translated into precise movements of micro-instruments within the operative site. The magnified, three-dimensional view the surgeon experiences enables him/her to perform precise surgery in complex procedures through small surgical incisions.
