Innovative Robotic Surgery Available at Phoenixville Hospital – Tower Health

For individuals in Chester and Montgomery counties, Phoenixville Hospital now offers an innovative robotic-assisted surgery approach, not available at any other hospital within 50 miles, to treat a range of gastrointestinal conditions and diseases such as colon cancer, esophageal cancer, and swallowing disorders.

“Robotic-assisted surgery represents a new chapter in gastrointestinal surgery,” said Stefanie Haynes, DO, Tower Health Medical Group, a general surgeon specializing in robotics at Phoenixville Hospital. “People in our local community no longer have to travel out of the area for this advanced procedure.”

For individuals with colon cancer, identifying and treating the disease early can improve patient outcomes and cure rates. At Phoenixville Hospital, surgeons are performing right- and left-sided colon resections utilizing robotic assistance. These specific procedures offered at Phoenixville Hospital, avoid the need for abdominal wall incisions, colostomy formation, and extended hospital stays.

For people with esophageal disorders like reflux, surgical correction is often undertaken to improve swallowing and reduce chest or abdominal pain. Surgeons at Phoenixville Hospital use robotic assistance for myotomies, anti-reflux surgery and paraesophageal hernia reconstructions.

“For patients for whom robotic surgery is an option, the increased dexterity available using robotic assistance allows us to reach previously inaccessible areas of the body, and do so with less trauma to the patient,” said Dr. Haynes. “Combined with a minimally invasive approach, robotic assistance supports positive results, particularly in complex procedures.”

During robotic-assisted surgery at Phoenixville Hospital, surgeons insert miniaturized instruments and a tiny camera through small incisions. They manipulate those instruments from a technologically advanced three-dimensional console. By doing so, surgeons gain a wider range of motion to perform delicate and intricate procedures.