As reported previously by Local Profile, Collin County is becoming a hub for technology and its effects are reaching not just the industry, but also residents. Roughly two months after McKinney public library became the first library in Texas to use automatic robots on the public floor, Momentis Surgical, a medical device company, announced on Monday that Medical City Plano will be the first medical facility to adopt a surgical robot arm for transvaginal gynecological procedures.
The Anovo System, a surgical robot that mimics a human arm, complete with shoulder, elbow and wrist joints is specialized in transvaginal robotic surgery and it’s the first of its kind to be approved by the FDA. The robot’s humanoid-shaped arms are designed to emulate a surgeon’s precise movements and high agility and dexterity.
According to the company’s official statement, the prototype at Medical City Plano is designed to enable minimally invasive transvaginal interventions for benign gynecological procedures including hysterectomy and ovarian cyst removal.
Momentis Surgical explains that the transvaginal approach in these procedures has been proven to provide benefits such as less patient pain and scarring as well as shorter recovery times and reduced infection rates when compared with other approaches. In addition to the benefits for the patient, the Anovo System requires a smaller footprint and is less expensive than other robotic systems, making it more accessible for hospital and ambulatory surgery centers.
“Incorporating a smaller, lighter, and more cost-effective robotic surgical platform will allow more rural areas, smaller hospitals and surgery centers to offer minimally invasive surgery, resulting in more patients having access to the most up-to-date and least invasive surgical options. We are proud to be the first in Texas to adopt this remarkable new technology and make it available to patients,” said in a statement Thomas P. Heffernan, MD, a practicing gynecologic oncologist at Medical City Plano.
Given that close to 600,000 hysterectomies are performed annually in the U.S., the availability of these kinds of technologies could potentially benefit women’s healthcare. “In the months ahead, we will continue our efforts to broaden the availability of the system and improve gynecological surgery to enable more surgeons to perform the clinically preferred transvaginal approach, setting a higher standard in women’s healthcare,” said the CEO and co-founder of Momentis, Dvir Cohen in a statement.