Vall d'Hebron has applied a pioneering technique to locate and remove tumors in the soft part of the palate ---the posterior part, formed by muscles--- using robotics and 3D technology. It is the first hospital in Spain to have used this technique, which has been based on a surgical robot to access the tumor through the mouth, avoiding an incision in the neck and preserving the patient's senses, according to the ACN. Until now, the usual process for operating on this type of pathology involved open surgery that could affect breathing, speech, and swallowing.
This was explained by Dr. David Virós, head of the Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Service at the center, accompanied by the patient who underwent the procedure with this technique, Susana Zapico, 55 years old. The operation took place eleven days ago and the patient has not yet been discharged, but she assured that she feels "much better" than she expected. "I am very happy because many things could have happened that did not happen," Zapico expressed.
To achieve this new medical milestone, Dr. Virós explained that the first step was to recreate the patient's tumor with 3D technology. A technique that allowed them to navigate its interior and know in detail the relationship between all the structures in the area, as well as the problems that could arise during the intervention. "Thanks to the work of the engineers of the 3D unit, we were able to plan and train the surgery, think about how we would cut and move the different structures and the steps that had to be taken at each moment," he pointed out. The patient's tumor was located at the base of the skull, next to blood vessels and nerves connected to the brain, and for this reason, it was important to know the area very well. To have an even more precise knowledge of the space and to make the surgery as personalized as possible, the medical team printed the patient's tumor with resin pieces.
From here, the doctors prepared the operation with the Da Vinci surgical robot, which allows for minimal and precise incisions in confined and hard-to-reach spaces. The robot helped access the tumor through the mouth, and doctors avoided making a cut in the neck, minimizing the risk of complications and reducing postoperative pain. Tracheotomy, a common intervention in these types of cases, was also avoided. Furthermore, Virós emphasized that, with this planning, not only are there improvements in surgical safety, but also the intervention time and the patient's subsequent recovery time are reduced. Specifically, the medical team estimates that the time in the operating room can decrease from four hours to two.
The hospital plans to intervene with this technique in about twenty cases per year. Likewise, the hospital also contemplates using it in other malignant head and neck carcinomas, which would mean acting in about fifty cases annually. Until now, robotic surgery had been used in some other cases in this same location, but it had never been combined with 3D technology.