Robotic-assisted surgery represents the future of precision surgery, transforming the surgical landscape with unparalleled accuracy and outcomes. At Maimonides Medical Center, we’ve integrated cutting-edge robotic platforms, including the latest da Vinci Robotic Surgical System and Ion navigational bronchoscopy, to deliver unmatched care. More than 35 surgeons comprise Maimonides’ Robotic Surgery Program, performing more than 1,300 robot-assisted minimally invasive procedures every year and providing convenient access to leading-edge services that significantly enhance safety, accuracy, and recovery.  

As Brooklyn’s robotic surgery leader, we launched the area’s first robotic surgery program in 2001. Within the past year, we’ve invested in three new, state-of-the-art da Vinci robotic surgery machines that have enhanced and expanded our robotics program. Today, in addition to other surgical areas, our experts incorporate these tools across urologic, abdominal, lung, and thoracic specialties, ensuring our patients benefit from the most advanced surgical options without leaving the borough. 

“At Maimonides, we’ve always been early adopters of technology, and these robotic tools fit into that pattern,” says David A. Silver, MD, FACS, Director of the Maimonides Division of Urology and Chief of Urologic Oncology in the Department of Surgery. “We have the oldest, most established, most well-developed robotic surgery program in the borough. And it has worked its way into every corner of surgery at Maimonides.” 

Now, Maimonides is designated as a Robotic Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), highlighting our commitment to excellence in robotic surgery and high-quality patient care. 

Maimonides offers robotic surgery across multiple specialties, including general surgery, minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, bariatric surgery, colorectal surgery, orthopedic surgery, pediatric surgery, thoracic surgery, and urological surgery. The benefits of robotic technology in surgery are numerous, including shortened recovery times and hospital stays, reduced pain and need for pain medications, reduced blood loss and scarring, and lower risk of infection, as well as improved visibility and higher precision for surgeons.  

Urologic Robotic Surgery 

According to Dr. Silver, Maimonides was one of the first hospitals nationwide to use robotic surgery for laparoscopic prostatectomy. With decades of experience, using this technique to remove the prostate is now considered routine at Maimonides. 

Our surgeons also offer a wide range of other urologic procedures, including: 

• Nephrectomy (kidney removal): Robotic systems provide precise control, minimizing damage to surrounding structures during kidney removal. 

• Prostate enucleation (removal of prostate tissue blocking the urethra): Robotic assistance enables precise removal of obstructive prostate tissue, leading to improved urinary function and a faster recovery. 

• Ureteral surgery: Robotic systems enhance precision in complex upper urinary tract reconstructions, reducing tissue damage and complications. 

• Urologic cancer surgery: Robotic-assisted techniques allow for meticulous dissections and preservation of vital structures.  

Blood loss is one of the biggest challenges with many urologic procedures. The robotic systems help surgeons avoid this problem, Dr. Silver says.  

“In the old days of open, radical prostatectomy, or open nephrectomy, patients would routinely lose multiple units of blood and require a transfusion,” he says. “Now, with the robotic tools, we are so confident that we expect patients will have minimal blood loss and we don’t worry about transfusions.” 

Colorectal Robotic Surgery 

Maimonides’ investment in robotic surgery makes abdominal procedures less invasive and decreases patient recovery time, according to Rebecca Rhee, MD, Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery. These tools also make it easier for our surgeons to complete complex rectal cancer surgeries such as low and ultra-low anterior resections to maximize sphincter preservation, allowing patients to avoid a permanent ostomy. 

“It can be very difficult to do these procedures minimally invasively,” she says. “But with the robotic system, we are well positioned to tackle these surgeries.” 

Dr. Rhee and her general and colorectal surgery colleagues complete hundreds of robotic surgeries every year. Their focus on these advanced techniques places Maimonides at the forefront of care for patients who require surgery to treat cancer or other abdominal conditions. 

“Robotic surgery is where the field is going,” Dr. Rhee says. “As Brooklyn’s leading tertiary care center, we’re staying on top of the cutting-edge, advanced techniques.” 

Lung and Thoracic Surgery 

For over a decade, Maimonides has offered minimally invasive robotic surgery for treating lung cancer. More recently, the thoracic and pulmonary team has added robotic navigational bronchoscopy to its state-of-the art diagnostic capabilities. The ION robotic navigational bronchoscopy platform  is a minimally invasive method for lung biopsies. The robotic system navigates into the lung with real-time three-dimensional imaging, allowing biopsy of lung nodules previously inaccessible. This could lead to earlier diagnosis and improved cure rates for lung cancer. This system strengthens Maimonides Lung Cancer Screening program, which is the largest lung screening program in Brooklyn, utilizing low-dose CT scans to find lung cancers in an earlier, more curable stage before a tumor spreads. 

“This state-of-the-art platform complements our existing lung cancer program,” says Jason Shaw, MD, who serves as the Director of General Thoracic Surgery and the Maimonides Lung Cancer Screening Program. “It’s an amazing diagnostic tool that will allow us to be more precise with procedures and biopsies. It also holds the potential to deliver treatments in the future.” 

In addition to its diagnostic capabilities, the robotic navigational bronchoscopy can be utilized to mark smaller tumors using a fluorescent dye tracer that facilitates precise surgical planning. With its steerable catheter, our surgeons can make sharp, accurate turns to reach smaller tumors deep in the lung: a small amount of a fluorescent dye can improve localization and more limited minimally invasive lung resections. This means less normal lung is removed and patients breathing is less affected by their surgery.

“This tool lets us see parts of the lungs beyond the parts of the bronchial trees that we can usually visualize with standard bronchoscopy,” Dr. Shaw says. “This way, we’re seeing tumors that are more peripherally located — not just the ones in the central part of the lungs.” 

This robotic system reduces risks associated with needle lung biopsies that traverse the chest wall, including pneumothorax. Our doctors can use the system to biopsy several lung nodules simultaneously, even if on opposite sides of the body or different lobes of the lung, eliminating the need for multiple procedures.  

“The ION meshes very well with our existing screening program by allowing us to more easily sort through a patient’s pulmonary nodules to identify potential cancers,” he says. “It’s a tool that fully supports our goal of diagnosing earlier-stage cancers to save more lives.” 

Overall, expanding robotic surgery services at Maimonides underscores the hospital’s mission to make the highest-quality care easily accessible to all patients in the Brooklyn area, according to Dr. Rhee. 

“At Maimonides, we strive to always rely on the most advanced techniques, ensuring we deliver the highest standard of care to our patients,” says Dr. Rhee. “Expanding robotic surgery services reinforces our commitment to advancing healthcare equity, ensuring every patient receives world-class surgical care close to home. With the wide variety of robotic surgeries we provide, patients can stay right here in Brooklyn and get the high-quality care they deserve.” 

For more information about robotic surgery at Maimonides, visit https://maimo.org/roboticsurgery/.