
The Robotic Surgery Clinic at the Brussels University Hospital is the home of surgical specialities that incorporate robot-assisted and minimally invasive techniques in their everyday practice. Pioneers in Belgium, we adopted this technology more than two decades ago with facilities at the Jules Bordet Institute, the Erasmus Hospital and the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital (HUDERF). After a number of technical and material developments, we currently use the Da Vinci Xi system with a double console (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) and contribute actively to perfecting this high precision approach.
Our early commitment to robotic surgery enabled us to develop recognised expertise and retain a leadership position in this continuously evolving field. We seek to offer leading edge surgical treatment by combining technological innovation and university excellence while playing a key role in training surgeons in Belgium and Europe.
Robotic surgery is an advanced technology that enables the surgeon to carry out complex operations with exceptional precision of a nature that is difficult or even impossible using other methods. The system consists of a number of key elements:
The operating console: The surgeon controls all the instruments from this workstation that is equipped with high definition and enhanced 3D vision. This makes it possible to visualise the anatomical structures with exceptional clarity and offers advanced options such as visual filters (fluorescence imaging) or the combined display in real time of ultrasound images so as to better locate tissues or blood vessels.
Four robotic arms: One is dedicated to a 3D camera that is positioned as close as possible to the zone that is to be operated on. The other three manipulate miniaturised instruments that faithfully reproduce the surgeon’s hand movements. These instruments permit millimetre precision even when operating in confined spaces while also eliminating hand tremble.
The double console: This function enables a second surgeon to participate in or supervise the operation, thereby providing learning opportunities and real time collaboration, when training new surgeons in particular.
Although the Da Vinci robot is a sophisticated technological tool, the surgeon remains in full control at each stage of the surgery. This approach offers a number of notable advantages:
- Reduced risk of complications
- Reduced size of scars that are less visible
- Reduced risk of blood loss and need for transfusion
- Reduced postoperative pain
- Reduced period of hospitalisation and improved return to normal life
The surgery takes place in an operating theatre dedicated exclusively to robotic surgery at the Erasmus Hospital site. Our multidisciplinary team of experienced surgeons, anaesthetists and specialised nurses guarantees full and personalised care for each patient.
Our treatment proposes a wide range of robot-assisted surgery in various surgical specialities:
Urology
• Anterior radical prostatectomy with preservation of the Retzius space, with or without preservation of neurovascular bundles
• Radical cystectomy with non-continent or continent urinary deviation with intestinal neobladder reconstruction, with or without preservation of neurovascular bundles
• Anterior partial or total nephrectomy, with or without intra-arterial renal hypothermia technique
• Pelvic lymph node dissection, inguinal and retroperitoneal aortocaval
• Enlargement ileocystoplasty
• Artificial urinary sphincter in men and women
• Ureteral reconstruction, with or without oral mucosa
• Adrenalectomy
>>Find out more about the Willy Grégoir Prostate Cancer Centre
Hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery
• Left or right hepatectomy
• Partial hepatectomy (wedge, segmentectomy)
• Hepaticojejunal anastomosis
• Corporocordal pancreatectomy with or without splenectomy
• Adrenalectomy
Colorectal surgery
• Left and right colectomy
• Total mesorectal excision (TME)
Wall reparatory surgery
• Cure of complex eventrations
Gynaecology
• Surgery for deep endometriosis (multidisciplinary: digestive surgery, gynaecology and urology)
• Total hysterectomy
• Lymphadenectomy
• Myomectomies
• Tubal repermealisation
• Ovarian tissue grafts
>> Find out more about the Clinique de l’Endométriose (Erasme)
Cardiac surgery
• Coronary bypass via left mini-thoracotomy (MIDCAB)
• Totally endoscopic coronary bypasses
• Implantation of epicardial lead
• Pericardial fenestration
• Mitral valve plasty
Pelvic floor surgery
• Prolapse repair (multidisciplinary: digestive surgery, gynaecology and urology)
• Burch colposuspension
Neck and head surgery
• Trans-oral surgery (TORS)
>> Find out more about the technology used :
https://www.intuitive.com/fr-fr/products-and-services/da-vinci/systems
Our team
Urology
Thierry Quackels, Director of the Robotic Surgery Clinic
Jeanne Beirnaert
Thomas Caes
Romain Diamand
Éric Hawaux
Alexandre Peltier
Digestive surgery
Najla Bachir
Desislava Germanova
Julie Navez
Gynaecology
Kurt Crener
Maxime Fastrez
Ludovica Imperiale
Camille Vanneste
Cardiac surgery
Jean-Luc Jansen
Head and neck surgery
Esther Willems
Anaesthesia
Thibaut Decoeur
Younes Ghamgui
Laurent Perrin (cardiaque)
Laszlo Szegedi
Turgay Tuna
Nurses
Mélanie Cremer
Michael De Schacht
Séverine De Taye
Sébastien Dormy
Stéphane Dubois
Xavier Dujardin
Simon Goossens
Antoinette Khairallah
Célia Lima
Operational management of technical platforms
Patricia Philippart de Foy
Fanny Xenitos
19/12/2024