Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Minimally Invasive Treatment Options via da Vinci Robotic Surgery

Recent advancements in minimally invasive surgical technologies mean that savvy patients have options other than conventional surgery. San Francisco's California Pacific Medical Center has invested in the latest, most precise technology - the da Vinci Robot Surgical System, an exciting new treatment option in minimally invasive surgery for conditions including Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Use this page to learn more about advanced treatment options for Inflammatory Bowel Disease including robotic surgery using the da Vinci surgical system.

What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic condition affecting the bowels. It can be extremely painful and debilitating, and is not yet well understood. The main forms of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). The main difference between the two is the location and nature of the inflammatory changes. Crohn's can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from mouth to anus (skip lesions), although a majority of the cases start in the terminal ileum. Ulcerative colitis, in contrast, is generally restricted to the colon and the rectum. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic (or ongoing) disease of the colon or large intestine. UC is known as an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) —a term used to describe a number of inflammatory diseases which affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. If you have an inflammatory disorder such as UC, your immune system attacks your own GI tissues.

There are a number of signs and symptoms, including severe abdominal cramping and pain, fatigue, and the sudden, uncontrollable urge for bowel movements. But with appropriate medical treatment, many people with IBD (both UC and Crohn's Disease) are able to achieve real symptom control. Scientists do not know for certain what causes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They think that abnormal action of a person's immune system may trigger IBD. The immune system is made up of various cells and proteins. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infections caused by viruses or bacteria. Once the infection has cleared up, the immune system "shuts off." In IBD, this is not true - the immune system is overactive.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease - da Vinci Robotic Surgery as a Minimally Invasive Treatment Option

If you have been diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, you should consider all your treatment options and work with your physician to identify the best treatment option for you. The da Vinci® Surgical System is one of the advanced, minimally invasive treatment options now provided by California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco. Our top San Francisco based surgeons are highly trained specialists in robotics surgery, including the use of the da Vinci robot for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

If your doctor recommends surgery to treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease, you may be a candidate for minimally invasive da Vinci Surgery. Using the most advanced technology available, the da Vinci Surgical System enables your doctor to perform this delicate operation through a few tiny incisions with breakthrough vision, precision and control. da Vinci Surgery offers Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients numerous potential benefits.

The da Vinci robotic surgery system is a state-of-the-art surgical platform with 3D, high-definition vision and patented surgical instruments. da Vinci can be a very effective way to treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease while minimizing the side effects of surgery.

If your doctor recommends surgery to treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease, you may therefore be a candidate for minimally invasive da Vinci Surgery. Doctors at CPMC are using the most advanced technology available, the da Vinci Surgical System. da Vinci allows the surgeon to operate through a few tiny incisions. Advantages include -

• Quick return of bowel function
• Quicker return to normal diet
• Less risk of infection
• Less scarring
• Shorter hospital stay

Is da Vinci Robotic Surgery the Best Treatment Option for You? What are the best treatment guidelines for Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a complex condition, and you should consult with your primary care physician as well as your specialist to consider your best treatment options. da Vinci is one of the newer robotic techniques and has been very successful, when used appropriately. Ultimately, however, only you and your surgeon can decide if da Vinci is the best minimally invasive treatment option for you.

Take the first step and make an appointment with a CPMC physician today. We have several surgeons qualified to use the da Vinci robot for Inflammatory Bowel Disease - reflecting an investment in the best surgical technologies used by some of the best surgeons in San Francisco, in California, and in the United States as a whole. We are one of the top-rated da Vinci robotic surgical centers in California, and our staff looks forward to identifying the best treatment options and guidelines for you.

About Robotic Surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System at CPMC San Francisco

San Francisco residents as well as people who come from all over the United States know that CPMC’s top surgeons are among the best in the San Francisco Bay area at performing da Vinci Robot-assisted surgeries. In fact, CPMC’s gynecologists perform more da Vinci Robot-assisted surgeries than any other San Francisco Bay Area doctors. Robotic surgery such as the da Vinci surgical system is now the gold standard of treatment for many conditions. Our commitment is to be one of the best robotic and da Vinci surgery centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, and in the United States and to work with our patients to determine the best treatment options, including minimally invasive robotic surgery using the top-rated da Vinci robot. Our Robotic Surgery Department serves the entire San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco and Marin County, as well as the entire Northern California region with da Vinci certified surgeons.

Note: da Vinci takes its name from Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci the famous Italian artist and scientist. “da Vinci” may be misspelled as one word, daVinci, as in daVinci robotic surgery, or daVinci surgery, or daVinci certified surgeon, but the correct spelling is two words, da Vinci.