Belfast surgical robot treats 105 complex endometriosis cases

A robotic surgery system at Belfast City Hospital has carried out 130 operations since joining its gynaecology team in May, including 105 for complex endometriosis. Surgeons hope the technology will help tackle Northern Ireland’s long waits for specialist surgery, which average about seven years for complex cases.

The Da Vinci system, the first of its kind on the island of Ireland, is operated by surgeons. Its instruments can move precisely in confined areas of the pelvis, helping teams perform complex procedures involving several specialities, the hospital’s consultant gynaecological surgeon Hans Nagar said.

The robot cost £2.4m, paid for through charitable donations for gynaecological services in the health trust. Four consultants have been trained to use it. The hospital says complex gynaecology cases are now treated as a priority rather than being displaced when other operations, including cancer surgery, are scheduled.

Colleen Crothers, 41, has endometriosis and adenomyosis. She said she began experiencing severe period pain at 14 but was not referred to gynaecology until 22 years later. She missed the chance to have robotic surgery by weeks earlier this year and underwent conventional surgery in June, including a hysterectomy and a procedure to remove tissue attached to her bowel.

“I missed out so much of family life due to daily pain – pain that went on for years,” she said. The operation has left her more or less pain-free, she said, though she continues to need specialist care and has entered early menopause.

“Robotic surgery came too late for me,” Crothers said. “I hope other women won’t have to wait as long.”

Nagar said the system would take time to become established, but he believed it could make a significant difference. The BBC reported that the technology may support more precise, less invasive operations; a theatre nurse said it was helping patients recover more quickly.

The Health Minister, Robbie Butler, is expected to announce £1.95m for endometriosis services across Northern Ireland. The planned investment includes £700,000 for specialist centres at Belfast City and Altnagelvin hospitals, with £250,000 for each health trust as part of a phased expansion of care for women with less complex symptoms.