Gangnam Cha Hospital Achieves 4,000 Cases of Korea's First Obstetrics and Gynecology Robotic Surgery

Professor Jeong Yong-wook of the Robotic Surgery Center in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Gangnam CHA Hospital is performing robotic surgery.
[Photo by Gangnam CHA Hospital]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwanju] Gangnam CHA Hospital of CHA University School of Medicine announced on the 27th that it has achieved 4,000 cases of robotic surgery in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, the first in Korea.

Since opening the Robotic Surgery Center in June 2015, Gangnam CHA Hospital surpassed 3,000 cases of robotic surgery in the obstetrics and gynecology field last year, the first in Korea, and exceeded 4,000 cases within one year.

Robotic surgery in obstetrics and gynecology is a highly complex procedure applicable to almost all areas of gynecology, including uterine fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine prolapse, ovarian cysts, microsurgery of the fallopian tubes, urinary incontinence, and ovarian cancer.

According to the statistics of robotic surgeries at Gangnam CHA Hospital Robotic Surgery Center, myomectomy accounted for the largest proportion with 2,675 cases (66.9%). This was followed by ovarian tumor removal with 839 cases (21.0%) and surgeries for gynecologic cancers and other diseases with 486 cases (13.1%).

By age group, patients in their 30s accounted for 45.9%, those in their 40s 36.8%, and those in their 20s 11.7%. In particular, with the widespread use of screenings and changes in lifestyle, the number of young female patients has notably increased, with those in their 20s and 30s accounting for more than half (57.6%) of all robotic surgeries. Among patients treated at the Robotic Surgery Center, the youngest was 12 years old and the oldest was 74 years old. Also, 4 out of 10 robotic surgery patients were unmarried, and most patients were able to preserve their uterus without hysterectomy or maintain fertility by maximizing ovarian function preservation.

Medical staff at Gangnam CHA Hospital Robot Surgery Center.

The background for achieving 4,000 cases in the shortest period includes the accumulated expertise of medical staff in gynecologic tumor surgeries as a specialized obstetrics and gynecology hospital and a minimally invasive surgery system. Through remodeling such as expanding the operating rooms, the latest equipment, the 'da Vinci Xi,' was additionally introduced in August last year, operating two robotic devices and performing more than 1,000 gynecologic tumor robotic surgeries annually.

Seokju Sung, head of the Robotic Surgery Center, said, "Although we started robotic surgery as a latecomer, we have been recognized for our competitiveness in the field of obstetric and gynecologic tumor surgeries by surpassing large hospitals with an unprecedented growth rate." He added, "Robotic surgery shows good results in high-difficulty surgeries with large surgical scopes and tumor surgeries, so we will strive to perform optimal surgeries tailored to each patient through collaboration with the infertility center and clinical research to preserve fertility for women of childbearing age."

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