Endometrial Cancer Staging
Endometrial Cancer Staging: Removal of the sentinel lymph node and intra-operative identification of the ureter using ICG dye and Firefly Technique on DaVinci Robotic Platform, performed by Dr. Ortiz.
Dr. Ortiz was mentored by world leader and trailblazer, Dr. Camran Nezhat at Stanford University, she continues to push the limits of minimally invasive surgery.
The Ureter Project
The ureter is a tube that brings urine from the kidney to the bladder. It is at risk of injury during minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Ortiz developed a technique for performs pre-procedure cystoscopy with injection of dye into the ureter to see it robotically. If you can see it, you can avoid it.
Shown above: Robotic removal of metastatic lymph nodes. This patient had an isolated recurrence of ovarian cancer in the lymph nodes of the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava 5 years after her initial treatment. These images illustrate the use of retrograde injection of the ureter with dye. The ureter lights up green when the camera light filter is switched on. Easily identified, the ureter is protected from injury. This operation on major vessels had minimal blood loss, the patient had little pain and went home the next day. The operation spared her a big incision, and she was able to move on with her life quickly. This is an example of pushing the limits for better patient outcomes.