Robotic Surgery Services

Robotic surgery allows specialized surgeons to perform highly precise procedures, with little damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Robotic surgeries are minimally invasive, meaning they are done through tiny cuts (incisions) in the skin. The surgeon’s hands control the high-tech robotic instruments, which have a 360-degree range of motion and provide greater accuracy than with traditional open surgery. Cameras in the robotic system magnify the surgical area in 3D and send high-definition video to monitors in the operating room.

This technology offers many benefits beyond accuracy, including faster recovery times, less pain and scarring, minimal blood loss, and shorter hospital stays. It’s ideal in trauma cases and for other patients who may not be stable enough for open surgery.

UAB Medicine’s Robotic Surgery Program is among the largest of its kind in the Southeast and has the highest patient volume in the country. Our roughly 25 robotic surgery experts perform about 1,000 procedures each year. They are board-certified and fellowship-trained, and they use the latest technology to provide compassionate, high-quality care.

We have two different robotic platforms. The da Vinci Surgical System is used for a wide range of procedures, and the newer ExcelsiusGPS robotic system – the only one in the Birmingham area – is used for spinal surgeries. We are a leader in the da Vinci Surgical System, attracting hundreds of surgeons around the world for observation and educational sessions. UAB’s multiple robots are used for many types of surgery, including:

• Abdominal
• Cancer (oncologic)
• Gynecologic
• Head and neck
• Heart
• Lung
• Spine or Neurosurgical
• Urologic
• Women’s reproductive tract

Care Providers

Jim Bryant, MD Urology Jamie Cannon, MD Colon and Rectal Surgery, General Surgery Greg Kennedy, MD Colon and Rectal Surgery, General Surgery Clifton Lewis, Sr., MD Cardiac Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery Jeffrey Nix, MD Urology John Porterfield, Jr., MD Endocrine Surgery, General Surgery Soroush Rais-Bahrami, MD Urology Sunil Sudarshan, MD Urology Benjamin Wei, MD Cardiac Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery Kirk Withrow, MD Head and Neck Surgery, Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Otolaryngology, Sleep Surgery, Surgical Oncology Harishanker Jeyarajan, MD Head and Neck Surgery, Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Microvascular Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Surgical Oncology Jakub Godzik, MD Neurosurgery

Videos

Robot-assisted Surgery at UAB

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Resources

• Division of Women’s Reproductive Healthcare
• Division of Gynecologic Oncology
• Division of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
• Department of Urology
• Surgical Oncology
• Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery