Dr. Wesley Girod Performs First Single-Incision Gallbladder Surgery in South Mississippi | Business

Dr. Wesley Girod, a general surgeon at Southern Surgical Associates, recently removed a patient’s gall bladder using only a single, inch-long incision camouflaged by the belly button. The advanced robotics-assisted procedure, which was performed at Wesley Medical Center using the da Vinci Si Surgical System, is the first of its kind in south Mississippi.

New FDA approved advancements to the da Vinci Si surgical robot now make it possible for robotics-trained surgeons to perform certain procedures with only a single, inch-long incision. As the area’s first and only da Vinci-trained general surgeon, Dr. Girod is now bringing this minimally invasive procedure to south Mississippi.

“I’ll be using just one tiny incision to perform the entire gallbladder removal surgery,” Said Dr. Girod.

Wesley Medical Center brought da Vinci robotic assisted surgery to the Pine Belt in 2007.  In 2011, their upgrade to the newest da Vinci robot enabled physicians to take a minimally invasive approach for even more complex surgical procedures and made single-incision surgery an option for specially trained physicians. Wesley Medical Center is one of only a few hospitals nationwide to offer single-incision da Vinci surgery.

“The da Vinci gives me a greater range of motion than traditional laparoscopic instruments,” said Dr. Girod. “I can see the operative field in far greater detail and I’m using the robot now for everything that I previously did laproscopically, such as colon and gallbladder removal, esophagus repair and surgery for hiatal hernias.”

The da Vinci Si Surgical System integrates robotic technology to virtually extend the surgeon’s eyes and hands. Using the system, the surgeon operates while seated at a console viewing a 3-D image of the surgical area. The system mimics the surgeon’s hand movements in real time, in a smaller scale, within the operating site in the patient’s body.

“The technology is very advanced, and most general surgeons are not trained to perform da Vinci robotic-assisted surgeries,” said Dr. Girod. “I chose to become trained because about 70 percent of the procedures I perform are done laproscopically and I wanted to offer my patients the most precise, least invasive option possible.”

A traditional open cholecystectomy is a major abdominal surgery in which the surgeon removes the gallbladder through a 5- to 7-inch incision. Patients usually remain in the hospital at least 2 to 3 days and may require several additional weeks to recover at home.

Minimally invasive robotics-assisted surgical procedures may result in less pain and scarring, shorter hospital stays and fewer complications. During a single-incision surgery, the small scar can often be hidden by the belly button.

Wesley Medical Center is committed to providing superior care to the Pine Belt and has been recognized for patient safety and top performance on key quality measures. The da Vinci minimally invasive surgical program at Wesley is one of the fastest growing in the state. For more information, call 601-268-8000 or visit Wesley.com.