Head & Neck Procedures
da Vinci ® Head and Neck Surgery
When medication and other non-surgical treatments cannot relieve your symptoms, surgery is often recommended to treat many conditions, including throat cancer.
Throat cancer refers to a category of conditions that includes: tonsil cancer, cancer of the larynx (laryngeal cancer), cancer of the pharynx (pharyngeal cancer) and tongue cancer.
For many years, traditional open surgery has been the standard approach to treating many head and neck conditions. Yet, with open surgery there is the risk for significant pain, trauma, possible disfigurement, a long recovery and damage to surrounding organs and nerves. Fortunately, less invasive options are available that allow surgeons to access the target anatomy without a large external incision.
For complex cases, robotic-assisted da Vinci® Surgery may be the most effective and least invasive treatment choice. Through tiny 1-2 cm incisions, da Vinci surgeons can operate with greater vision, precision, dexterity and control to minimize the pain and risks associated with large incisions. Minimally invasive da Vinci Surgery may improve your recovery experience and outcomes with such benefits as:
- Significantly less blood loss1,2,3,4
- Minimization or elimination of need for chemoradiation therapy2,3
- No tracheotomy2
- Fewer complications1
- Shorter hospital stay1,4
- Fast recovery, return to normal speech and swallowing1
- Excellent cancer control1
- No visible scarring or disfigurement2
As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed since surgery is unique to each patient and procedure. da Vinci Surgery is considered effective, but may not be appropriate for everyone. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, the benefits and risks.
1. Weinstein GS, O'Malley Jr BS, Desai SC, Quon H; Transoral robotic surgery: does the ends justify the means? Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery,17:126–131, 2009
2. O'Malley Jr. B, Weinstein GS, Snyder W, Hockstein, NG; Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) for Base Tongue Neoplasms, Laryngoscope 116: August 2006.
3. Weinstein GS, O'Malley Jr. BW, Synder W, Sherman E, Quon H; Transoral Robotic Surgery, Radical Tonsillectomy; Arch Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg/Vol. 133 (No. 12), Dec 2007.
4. Boudreaux BA, Rosenthal EL, Magnuson SJ, Newman RJ, Desmond RA, Clemons L, Carroll WR; Robot-Assisted Surgery for Upper Aerodigestive Tract Neoplasms; Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg/Vol 135 (No. 4), Apr 2009
5. Sang-Wook K et al. Robot-assisted endoscopic surgery for thyroid cancer: experience with the first 100 patients. Accepted: 12 January 2009 Springer Science+Business Media.
While clinical studies support the effectiveness of the da Vinci Surgical System when used in minimally invasive surgery, individual results may vary. There are no guarantees of outcome. All surgeries involve the risk of major complications. Before you decide on surgery, discuss treatment options with your doctor. Understanding the risks of each treatment can help you make the best decision for your individual situation. Surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System may not be appropriate for every individual; it may not be applicable to your condition. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits. Only your doctor can determine whether da Vinci Surgery is appropriate for your situation. The clinical information and opinions, including any inaccuracies expressed in this material by patients or doctor about da Vinci Surgery are not necessarily those of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and should not be considered as substitute for medical advice provided by your doctor. All people depicted unless otherwise noted are models. © 2011 Intuitive Surgical. All rights reserved. Intuitive, Intuitive Surgical, da Vinci, da Vinci S, da Vinci Si, Single-Site, InSite, TilePro and EndoWrist are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intuitive Surgical. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. PN 873551 Rev B 10/11.Content provided by Intuitive Surgical. For more information on this topic, please visit www.davincisurgery.com.
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