Gangnam Severance Achieves 5,000 Robot Surgery Cases

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital announced on the 28th that it has achieved 5,000 cases of robotic surgery.

Yonsei Medical Center introduced the first robotic endoscopic surgical system in Korea in 2005. Gangnam Severance Hospital also opened the era of robotic surgery in the Gangnam area by starting operation of the da Vinci S system in March 2007.

In 2019, the da Vinci XI model was additionally introduced, and currently about 1,000 surgeries are performed annually. This ranks within the top 10 nationwide, and notably, the number of surgeries has more than doubled in the past three years.

Among the departments, Urology performed the most robotic surgeries, followed by Obstetrics and Gynecology, Thyroid Endocrine Surgery, and Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery. Regarding surgical diseases, prostate-related conditions were the most common, with many cases seeking robotic surgery for ureteral cancer, bladder cancer, uterine diseases, and thyroid diseases. Additionally, robotic surgery is increasingly applied to stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, heart diseases, and liver transplantation, expanding the range of applicable diseases and fields.

Hospital Director Song Young-gu stated, “It is encouraging that robotic surgery, which Yonsei Medicine started with the great intention of improving public health and advancing Korean medicine, is increasing significantly every year. The expansion of surgical application areas is also making it gradually established as a common treatment method.”

Robotic Surgery Committee Chair Jeong Byung-ha said, “Robotic surgery causes less damage to the surgical site, resulting in less pain, faster recovery, and better cosmetic outcomes. The greatest advantage is the precise manipulation possible even in narrow spaces thanks to the delicate movements of the robotic arms,” adding, “We expect the demand from patients and medical staff to continue increasing in the future.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.