Institutes & Services

• Intervertebral Disc Biacuplasty

  To relieve back pain caused by degeneration, or wearing out, of the lumbar intervertebral discs, heat is used to destroy the overgrowth of the nerve fibers in the disc, which significantly reduces the pain.

• Supraorbital Nerve Stimulation

  To treat facial pain that can follow an episode of shingles, a condition called intractable postherpetic trigeminal neuralgia, a surgical flat “paddle” lead is implanted, which provides better current distribution, fewer surges and better pain control for patients.

• Performing Arts in the Hospital Environment

  Musical performances are held each weekday in four locations on the main campus. Local music students and musicians perform in public lobbies to uplift and entertain patients, families and employees. When patients and families were surveyed 98% said they wanted more music and 95% said it made a difference in their hospital stay.

• Research into the Arts and Medicine

  The Arts & Medicine Institute is committed to practice and investigate the use of the arts in healing. Currentresearch involves music therapy with bone marrow transplant patients; visual arts and the hospital experience; and art therapy with cancer patients.

Since its inception in 1921, Cleveland Clinic has been at the forefront of cancer breakthroughs. Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists have developed new surgical techniques, discovered new treatments and uncovered key information about cancer cells that have resulted in significant changes in the way patients are screened, diagnosed and treated. Here are some of the most significant breakthroughs in cancer Cleveland Clinic has contributed since the 1990s:

1990s

Cleveland Clinic researchers pioneered the application of novel growth factors to stimulate hematopoietic stem cells, revolutionizing autologous bone marrow transplants.

2008-2011

Researchers in Cleveland Clinic's Genomic Medicine Institute, under the direction of Charis Eng, MD, PhD, revealed many genetic discoveries related to cancer including:
- Genetic mutations of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN
- Discovery of KILLIN as a novel predisposition gene for Cowden syndrome and Cowden-like syndrome, which predisposes these individuals to breast and kidney cancer
- The role of androgen receptor (AR) in breast and prostate cancer
- The effect of germline homozygosity (having two identical copies of the same gene) on predisposition to cancer

2010

Jaroslaw Maciejewski, MD, PhD, discovers mutations in a gene (TET2 ten-eleven translocation 2) and other processes associated with myeloid malignancies that disrupt normal enzyme activity during gene transcription creating conditions favorable to growth of myeloid tumor cells.

Today

Our oncologists, under the direction Brian Rini, MD, have been responsible for developing several new drugs for kidney cancer. Cleveland Clinic participated in the trials of five out of the six current treatments for kidney cancer and led three of the trials.

Center for Autism

Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism continues to be expanded and has been recognized throughout the United States, receiving various awards for excellence.

Special Delivery Unit

The Special Delivery Unit at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital offers women who are carrying babies with known birth defects a compassionate, family-centered setting for labor and delivery, with access to world-class adult and pediatric specialists.

Pectus Excavatum

Among the numerous diseases and conditions our pediatric team treats, Children's Hospital is a nationally recognized Center of Excellence in the treatment of Pectus Excavatum. Our pediatric surgeons are leaders in employing the Nuss Procedure, the minimally invasive repair of Pectus Excavatum. Over 98% of the cases we see are treated in this fashion, with less pain and a shorter hospital stay.

• Face Transplant

  On December 17, 2008 a multi-disciplinary team of doctors and surgeons performed the first near total face transplant. In a 23-hour procedure performed over two weeks, surgeons transplanted 80 percent of a woman’s face who suffered facial trauma – essentially replacing her entire face, except for her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin. This is the largest and most complex face transplant in the world, integrating different functional components such as nose and lower eyelids, as well as different tissue types including, skin, muscles, bony structures, arteries, veins and nerves. Cleveland Clinic Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute led the face transplant surgery, partnering with the Cleveland Clinic Head & Neck Institute.

• Mohs Micrographic Surgery

  Mohs surgery provides the highest cure rate for high-risk melanoma skin cancers, while sparing the maximum amount of normal skin. Cleveland Clinic dermatologists performed approximately 2,100 Mohs procedures in 2007 and now offer the surgery in Independence and Beachwood, as well as Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. This expanded access at more locations affords patients more timely treatment of skin cancer.

• Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction (DIEP)

  Our plastic surgeons have pioneered recent advances in breast reconstruction, including the innovative DIEP technique. The benefit of this procedure, a variation of the more commonly performed TRAM operation, is that it preserves abdominal muscle, so most patients experience less discomfort.

• Minimally Invasive Techniques in Facial Cosmetic Surgery

  Our Department of Plastic Surgery has focused on alternatives to face and necklift surgery, short-scar facelifts and minimally-invasive facelift techniques, with the emphasis on pain reduction, improved recovery times, and longer-term enhancements.

  Laser Treatments

  Cleveland Clinic's Department of Dermatology continues to upgrade and improve our laser services, providing one of the most advanced and comprehensive laser programs in Northeast Ohio. We offer the latest advances in technology and care, with a dozen ablative and non-ablative lasers, including the state-of-the-art Fraxel laser, used for treatment of scars and wrinkles, tattoo removal, treatment of vascular lesions, hair removal and pigmented lesion removal.

• Sacral Nerve Stimulation Reduces Fecal Incontinence Symptoms

  Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida co-investigated a novel technique to treat fecal incontinence – sacral nerve stimulation (SNS). Approved by the FDA in March 2011, SNS is like a cardiac pacemaker for the anal sphincter. Surgeons first implant temporary subcutaneous stimulators into the sacral nerve, testing their effectiveness with the patient awake. For those patients who experience more than a 50 percent improvement in the number of fecal incontinence episodes or in the Cleveland Clinic Incontinence score during a two-week trial, surgeons implant the permanent stimulator in a second procedure. Treatment with SNS, which was piloted at both Cleveland Clinic sites in clinical trials, can reduce the number of bowel accidents that a patient experiences. In some cases, patients become totally continent.

• First Robotic Single-Port Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

  Pioneered by Cleveland Clinic general surgeon Matthew Kroh, MD, and now approved by the FDA, robotic single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy has opened the door for a paradigm shift in the way general surgical procedures are performed. The use of the DaVinci robot to perform single-port cholecystectomy overcomes the limitations of the manual single-port approach and is a safe, reproducible procedure, says Dr. Kroh, MD. “Although a learning curve certainly exists, this is certainly a more desirable way to perform a standard operation,” he says. Dr. Kroh had performed the procedure without robotic assistance, but found using the robot overcame technical challenges. “I think this is the first in a series of steps to develop new robotic technologies for operations that we do routinely laparoscopically now. It’s a very exciting time,” say Dr. Kroh.

• Surgeon Pioneers "Natural Orifice" Approach to Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD)

  Interluminal lesions can be successfully removed “en bloc” through the anus using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Once the surgeon is comfortable with the procedure, it can be performed on an outpatient basis with general anesthesia, says colorectal surgeon Emre Gorgun, MD, the first U.S. colorectal surgeon to take this approach in the lower gastrointestinal tract. “The anal approach to ESD is technically challenging, but provides a less-traumatic method for removing colon and rectal lesions. The procedure is particularly useful for patients, who might have difficulty recovering from a major surgical procedure, or even a laparoscopic procedure, due to age or presence of comorbidities, ” he says. According to Dr. Gorgun, tumors as large as 4-5 centimeters, or obstructing up to 50 percent of the bowel lumen, can be resected in this fashion. “I think this will be a very important technique for surgical treatment and management of these lesions in the future,” he says.

• HIPEC Cancer Treatment Available

  HIPEC, or Hyperthermic (or Heated) Intraoperative Peritoneal Chemotherapy, is used to treat cancers that have spread to the lining of the abdominal cavity, such as those of the appendix, colon, stomach and ovaries. HIPEC is an alternative and innovative method of delivering chemotherapy. Unlike traditional chemotherapy that is delivered intravenously, HIPEC delivers chemotherapy directly into the abdomen, making it a good option for cancers that originated in or have spread to the abdominal cavity. Cleveland Clinic’s DDI is one of few programs in the country that perform the HIPEC procedure and the first program in Ohio with FDA approval to perform the procedure. Benefits also include being cared for by a multidisciplinary program that unites all of the physicians you need for your cancer care, including specialists from Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute and OB/GYN & Women’s Health Institute.

• Knowledge Program© Captures Self Assessment Electronically

  Digestive Disease Institute is one of the few Cleveland Clinic institutes in the Knowledge Program, a system which allows patients to record a self-assessment directly into their electronic medical record (EMR) on an electronic tablet. The assessment, which takes five to ten minutes, is conducted at the beginning of each appointment and can be reviewed immediately by those with access rights. The information collected provides updates in patient status and insight into clinically relevant issues that may be otherwise overlooked. Additionally, the initiative allows staff to consistently measure the severity of each patient’s illness over time and access the efficacy of treatment protocols while accelerating the collection of electronic data.

Cleveland Clinic offers a five-year medical school program with innovative curriculum that incorporates clinical medicine and research.

Live, online computer chats with a health educator offer patients personalized help in finding credible, informative health information.

Fifty-six leadership and management courses are available to Cleveland Clinic leaders with a Master’s degree.

Cleveland Clinic launched two Healthcare Executive Education programs in 2010 for executives outside Cleveland Clinic.

• Laparoscopic Liver Resection

  Over the last year, Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute (EMI) surgeons have developed techniques for laparoscopic liver resection, a procedure that enables removal of liver tumors through small incisions in the abdomen, resulting in less operative blood loss, fewer analgesic requirements, quicker advance to a regular diet, and decreased hospital stay and overall cost compared with conventional open liver resection.

• Robotic Liver Resection

  In line with the laparoscopic liver resection program, the EMI surgeons have started a robotic liver resection program. The use of the robot increases dexterity and versatility in laparoscopic procedures. Four patients have undergone robotic liver resection to date, all with good results.

• Laparoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) of Adrenal Tumors

  Some patients are not candidates for adrenalectomy due to unresectable cancer or medical comorbidities that preclude a long anesthesia time. The endocrine surgery team has applied laparoscopic RFA for the management of such patients. To date, three patients with adrenal malignancies and one patient with an enlarging benign adenoma have received this new treatment, without complications. This is the first laparoscopic RFA experience in the world for managing adrenal tumors.

• Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (TSHR) mRNA Assay Steps

  Since 2001, we have studied the clinical applications of detecting TSHR mRNA in circulation. This marker was developed at Cleveland Clinic, and represents a novel diagnostic tool in that it detects circulating thyroid cancer cells, rather than thyroid related proteins or hormones. It is undetectable in people who have normal thyroids and can distinguish among patients who have benign thyroid disease and initial and recurrent thyroid cancer. After multiple clinical studies, TSHR mRNA became a routinely available clinical test in 2008, offered to patients locally, nationally and internationally. Cleveland Clinic has the only specialized reference lab to provide this test.

• Parathyroid/Calcium/Osteoporosis

  Primary hyperparathyroidism is a strong risk factor for bone disease. Results of a study undertaken by endocrine surgeons at Cleveland Clinic indicated that this association has been underappreciated in men. With improved screening practices, surgeons were able to determine that the prevalence of osteoporosis in this population of men with primary hyperparathyroidism was very similar to that of women, a finding not previously recognized.

• Gastric Plication Procedure for Severe Obesity

  Bariatric and Metabolic Institute surgeons have been developing a less invasive surgical procedure for longterm weight loss. Gastric plication offers important advantages over other bariatric procedures in that it involves no stapling, cutting or removal of tissue. Therefore, it is minimally invasive and can be performed in an outpatient setting and can be easily reversed.

• Osteoradionecrosis

  Our studies of surgical resection and vascularized bone reconstruction of refractory radiation-induced jaw deterioration, commonly termed “osteoradionecrosis” (ORN) of the mandible, is the largest reported in the literature. In a group of 33 end-stage patients, we had a 100% flap survival rate and a 94% cure rate for the infectious complications.

• Wegener's Disease

  We have developed a novel extramucosal approach to nasal reconstruction in Wegener's patients with the use of bone taken from the outer layer of the skull. The avoidance of incisions in the nasal lining hypothetically limits the risk of Wegener’s flare-ups.

• Endoscopic Management of Anterior Skull-Base Neoplasms

  The Section of Nasal and Sinus Disorders has been an international leader in the development and refinement of surgical techniques for minimally invasive management of anterior skull-base neoplasms.

• 

  1958

  Cardiologist F. Mason Sones, Jr., MD, develops coronary angiography, which allows doctors to view the heart and its vessels through moving X-rays.

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  1967

  Cardiac surgeon Rene Favaloro, MD, pioneers coronary bypass surgery, grafting a vein removed from the leg to diseased coronary arteries in order to increase blood flow to the heart.

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  1980

  Cardiac surgeon, Delos M. Cosgrove, MD, develops a mitral valve retractor and annuloplasty ring that enables more effective heart valve repairs.

• 1996

  Cardiac surgeon, Delos M. Cosgrove, MD, performs the world's first minimally invasive heart valve surgery.

• 2008

  The Heart and Vascular Institute moved into the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Pavilion. At 1 million square feet, it is the largest facility in the country dedicated to cardiovascular care.

• Uterine Fibroid Embolization

  This minimally invasive, non-surgical method is an alternative to the traditional treatment of a hysterectomy, a major surgery.

• Cardiovascular Imaging Lab (CVIL)

  CVIL coronary CT exams are performed routinely in patients with low to intermediate risk factors for coronary artery disease. State-of-the-art CT equipment also minimizes radiation.

• Vascular Anomalies Imaging

  Patients of all ages with congenital soft tissue masses, birthmarks and hemangiomas can consider multi-modality imaging using ultrasound and MRI. This treatment is now available to make correct diagnosis, determine the extent of involvement and effect management.

At the Lorain Institute:

The Elyria Family Health and Surgery Center, home to our Women’s Breast Health Program, offers the only fully accredited Breast Imaging Center of Excellence in Lorain County.

Our Women’s Breast Health program is personalized for patients through a dedicated team of caregivers that includes board-certified breast health navigators, mammographers, OB/GYN physicians, general surgeons and plastic surgeons. This team is with the patient from detection through treatment, offering supportive care.

We’ve taken the reason patients travel to the Cleveland Clinic - renowned specialists, exceptional resources and state-of-the-art equipment - and brought it to Lorain County, close to you.

• Medicine Institute Center for Research and Innovation

  Prior to 2009, the Medicine Institute did not have a formal infrastructure to support physicians’ research interests. With the development of the MICRI research infrastructure, there is a more formalized and efficient process to support Medicine Institute investigators. This allows the Medicine Institute to develop many more research initiatives in primary care, hospital medicine and infectious disease, as well as to successfully compete for federal, foundation and industry-sponsored grants.

  Some projects include:

  Carl Tyler Jr., MD, a family physician, was awarded a three-year federal grant to support his research project, “Hard Wired for Health.” This project focuses on the opportunities to improve the health and healthcare of individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD) through electronic technologies.

  Ume Abbas, MD, an infectious disease physician, was awarded a two-year Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant to support her project, “Antiretrovirals and Spread of HIV Drug Resistance.” The purpose of this project is to determine the potential impact of antiretrovirals (ARVs) used for antiretroviral treatment (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on HIV prevention and drug resistance through mathematical and computational modeling. The long-term goal is to use modeling and simulation to design public health interventions to help control the global HIV epidemic.

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  Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center

  The Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center was first in the world to test the AutoLITT™ system. The treatment uses a specially designed laser probe to heat and destroy brain tumors integrates the AutoLITT system with the latest intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. Our leading-edge MRI unit generates high-resolution images in real time in a neurosurgical operating room that incorporates the AutoLITT system. This innovation allows physicians to see and direct the progress of tumor destruction as it happens, thereby increasing the likelihood that tumors will be completely removed. To date, the Center has performed more of these procedures than any other medical center in the country.

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  Center for Neurological Restoration

  Andre Machado, MD, PhD, was awarded an NIH/NIGMS grant titled, “Deep brain stimulation of the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule for modulation of the affective sphere of chronic neuropathic pain.” Cleveland Clinic researchers plan to target with deep brain stimulation (DBS) areas that are related to the control of behavior and emotion. By electrically stimulating these networks, researchers expect to reduce pain-related disability.

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  Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research

  The Mellen Center Staff, under the direction of Dr. Robert J. Fox, our medical director, recently received an important grant from the National MS society to study chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, a new theory of what causes MS. The project will evaluate individuals with MS and compare their ultrasound and MR venography results with those of healthy controls and individuals with other neurological and autoimmune disorders. We are pleased to have this opportunity to scientifically and objectively evaluate this possible link between multiple sclerosis and the blood flow out of the brain and spinal cord.

• Fertility Preservation

  Cleveland Clinic's fertility specialists have developed expertise in the best cryopreservation techniques.

• Robotics

  Our surgeons are increasingly using a robot to assist in the minimally invasive treatment of gynecologic disorders, particularly vaginal prolapse and hysterectomy, giving patients the benefits of minimally invasive surgery with less blood loss, fewer complications and shorter hospital stays.

• Nipple Sparing Mastectomy

  Preservation of the nipple areolar complex at the time of mastectomy has been pioneered at Cleveland Clinic. Our outcomes for this procedure have been superior and our experience with more than 200 procedures is one of the largest in the world.

• Free Flap Breast Reconstruction

  Our microvascular breast reconstructive surgeons have considerable experience with free flap reconstructions, which are only offered in a select group of centers worldwide.

• Dr. Hollyfield Recognized

  Joe G. Hollyfield, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine was selected as the next recipient of the Proctor Medal by the Board of Trustees of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. This prestigious award recognizes his work in significantly advancing the understanding of the cell biology of photoreceptors, interphotoreceptor matrix and the pigment epithelium.

• Developing New Therapeutics for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

  A research team led by Joe G. Hollyfield, PhD, has developed the first animal model of AMD that will enable researchers to efficiently and effectively develop and test novel therapies to both prevent the disease and slow vision loss.

• Managing Pain after Total Knee Replacement

  For patients undergoing knee replacement, pain control is improved by using a combination of a femoral nerve catheter, a spinal anesthetic, and an analgesic cocktail. Using this new pain protocol has led to patients having significantly less pain on each day of their hospital stay, with improved function scores up to 4 weeks after surgery.

• First Arthroscopic Knee Resurfacing Procedure

  Anthony Miniaci, MD, FRCSC, Executive Director of Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, developed the UniCAP, the first knee resurfacing procedure to be performed using arthroscopy. The UniCAP system is the first to utilize arthroscopy to re-line damaged surfaces on the inside or outside of the knee, or under the kneecap. For active individuals, it is more effective than other treatments in getting joints to move smoothly and painlessly and less drastic than total knee replacement.

1. Discovered heritable cause for Barrett's esophagus
2. Developed prototype breast cancer vaccine
3. Fashioned the Intelligent Mouthguard to measure concussive forces in athletes
4. Updated clinical practice guidelines based on latest research findings
5. Research links a common dietary lipid and intestinal microflora to an increased risk of heart disease
6. Breakthrough understanding of how multiple sclerosis develops
7. Creating artificial organs: an implantable bioartificial kidney and total artificial heart
8. Calculating personalized risk assessment regarding disease and treatment options
9. Identifying new molecular targets of disease, from brain cancer and retinal diseases to pregnancy-induced hypertension and beyond

• The Respiratory Special Care Unit (ReSCU)

  The Respiratory Special Care Unit (ReSCU) was created for persons who depend on mechanical ventilation to breathe but who are otherwise healthy enough to leave the intensive care unit. The primary goals of the ReSCU are to have patients breathe without the ventilator, teach patients self-care, teach family members how to care for the patient and manage the ventilator at home and prepare the patient and family for the patient's discharge to another facility.

• Bronchial Artery Revascularization (BAR)

  Bronchial artery revascularization (BAR) is a surgical technique intended to restore bronchial arterial circulation to transplanted lungs. Cleveland Clinic’s Transplant Surgical Team currently is conducting a prospective pilot study offering BAR at the time of transplantation with the reasoning that by restoring bronchial blood supply both short- and long-term outcomes in lung transplant patients may be improved.

  IBV (Intra-Bronchial Valve)

  Over the last few years, Cleveland Clinic pulmonologists have been participating in several multicenter trials to assess the efficacy and safety of bronchoscopic treatments for patients with severe emphysema. One such device, manufactured by Spiration, Inc., is an umbrella-shaped nitinol framed prothesis with a synthetic polymer cover. The flexible nitinol frame enables the valve to maintain contact with the airway wall and prevent air from passing into the diseased portions of the lungs while allowing for mucus and air to escape. This creates a one-way valve effect and redirects inspired air from the diseased upper lobes to the healthier lower lobes.

  Exhale Airway Stents for Emphysema

  Another trial currently enrolling at Cleveland Clinic is a randomized, double-blind study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Exhale® drug-eluting stent in patients with homogeneous emphysema and severe hyperinflation. This technique involves creating artificial airways, or "airways bypasses," across the wall of poorly functioning existing airways.

  New Bronchoscopy Suites

  The Patricia L. and Thomas P. Brundige bronchoscopy suites opened on Aug. 13, 2010.These new suites are designed to provide the full range of services, from standard bronchoscopy through advanced diagnostic and major therapeutic thoracic endoscopy.

  Systematic Mediastinal EBUS Staging

  With the availability of general anesthesia, we can perform a minimally invasive assessment of the mediastinal lymph nodes and combine the diagnostic and staging procedures in a single step. In addition to obtaining diagnostic tissue, we assess and sample all visible lymph nodes ≥ 5 mm, even if they do not appear abnormal on CT or PET scans. The ability to diagnose and stage lung cancer in a single, minimally invasive procedure can help patients obtain appropriate treatment sooner and with less risk than that posed by multiple staged procedures.

  Stent Modification

  Both malignant and nonmalignant central airway occlusions present many challenges, in that not all simple tubular silicone and self-expanding metallic stents are designed to fix the problems we face. One of the benefits of having a stock of silicone stents in our suites is that we can modify and shape stents during procedures to meet the unique needs of individual patients.

  Procedure Benchmarking

  Cleveland Clinic was one of the first 10 medical centers in the world to contribute procedural data to an international registry sponsored by the American College of Chest Physicians. The AQuIRE bronchoscopy registry has been developed to gather a number of anonymous clinical variables related to bronchoscopy procedure types, complications and outcomes, the intent being to better understand the value of bronchoscopy.

  Using Short-Cycle Business Intelligence to Drive Change

  Beginning in late 2010, the Respiratory Institute began using short-cycle business intelligence (BI) to focus on procedural and protocol compliance for ventilation weaning. In collaboration with various respiratory therapy groups, including personnel from the Medical Intensive Care Unit, the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, the Respiratory Special Care Unit and the Neurological Intensive Care Unit, we use a variety of metrics to evaluate performance, such as: sedation levels at time of screening and spontaneous breathing trial (SBT), time (of day) SBT and screening take place, reasons for failed screening, SBT or extubation. Monitoring these specific metrics allows us to make changes to our procedures and/or protocols on a near-real-time basis, allowing for feedback on compliance and testing outcomes.

  How Treating Bone Marrow Might Help Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension

  Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a proliferative vasculopathy of the pulmonary circulation leading to vascular remodeling and arterial obliteration, which increase pulmonary arterial pressures and lead to right heart failure and death. Currently available vasodilator therapies for PAH, although helpful in improving exercise tolerance and quality of life, are only moderately effective in improving survival.

• Transvaginal Nephrectomy

  Doctors at Cleveland Clinic performed the first case of NOTES transvaginal nephrectomy. The kidney was entrapped in a laparoscopic retrieval bag and removed via the vagina without intraoperative or postoperative complications.

  

  Innovative Combination of New Technologies in Reconstructive Laparoscopic Surgery

  A novel platform to perform reconstructive procedures combines a new robotic-endoscope holder, 3D vision and articulated instruments. This research won the first place award at the Engineering and Urology Society's 2008 meeting.

  Stereotactic Percutaneous Cryoablation for Renal Tumor

  Our surgeons have developed a stereotactic navigation system specifically for percutaneous probe ablation of kidney tumors. Accuracy using this navigation system was 4 mm and radiation exposure was reduced.

  LaparoEndoscopic Single-Site (LESS) Surgery

  Laparoscopic surgeons at the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute have developed and employed a novel port with multiple working channels that allows laparoscopic surgery to be completed through a single, 2 cm incision. In many instances, this single incision is buried in the umbilicus and offers a nearly scarless postoperative appearance.

  Single-Port Single-Surgeon Surgery

  Single-port single-surgeon transumbilical partial nephrectomy, pyeloplasty and radical nephrectomy were performed in our laboratory using a novel light endoscopic robot. This research has the potential to make single-port laparoscopy more effective toward surgery without visible scars.

  STEP (Single-Port Transvesical Simple Prostatectomy

  A single-port device is introduced percutaneously into the bladder under cystoscopic guidance. After establishing pneumovesicum, the adenoma is enucleated in its entirety and extracted through the vesical port site. Hemostasis is performed under direct vision.

  First Robotic Partial Removal of Transplant Tumor

  Jihad Kaouk, MD, recently performed the first robotic partial nephrectomy on a patient with a 7 cm tumor in her transplanted kidney. By preserving the transplanted kidney, the patient was spared losing the transplanted kidney and long-term dialysis treatment.