Mr Myles Smith operates using the Da Vinci Xi system at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Mr Smith is a certified Da Vinci surgeon and performs surgery both as the primary surgeon and in a team, primarily working with his colleague Mr Asif Chaudry in the Oesophagogastric team of the Royal Marsden, of which he is currently part of the robotic programme.
Mr Smith and Mr Asif Chaudry performed the first robotic oesophagogastrectomy in the UK using the Xi system, which was featured in the BBC program One Day That Changed My Life. Mr Smith then performed one of the first gastric GIST procedures in the UK using this system and, subsequently, Mr Smith was filmed performing a gastric GIST resection on the BBC programme CLICK.
The robotic system is particularly suited for surgery for selected visceral sarcomas, such as GIST, leiomyosarcomas and SFTs, but also may be of benefit for selected retroperitoneal, pelvic and abdominal wall tumours.
From a surgical standpoint, the major advantages of robotic surgery include greater visualisation, enhanced dexterity and precision. The ability to control the camera and all of the instruments affords great control and exposure The abilities of the robot such as magnification and the ability to use fluorescence technology to identify blood vessels, potentially tumours, has improved the ability to define surgical resection margins and has the potential to improve outcomes.
