ASGRS 2015
The inaugural scientific meeting of the ASGRS was held on Aug 19 and 20 at the National University Hospital’s state-of-the-art surgical training the facility, the Advanced Surgical Training Centre in Singapore.
This meeting was also when the ASGRS Board was constituted and the society formally inaugurated.
In addition to faculty representing the ASGRS member countries, there was also invited faculty from the United States and Great Britain. The live surgery segment of the scientific program proved to a platform for an engaging and lively discussion on the pros and cons of specimen morcellation and the routine use of adhesion barriers.
Some of the highlights of the program included:
The opening plenary speech and inaugural lecture was delivered by Dr Arnold Advincula, President of the AAGL. His address was both a call to arms for surgeons to defend the use of robotics in gynecological surgical care, and more importantly a wakeup call to be vigilant in the application of robotic surgical technology to ensure it’s place in mainstream medicine. This was an special honor for the ASGRS, but also special on a very personal level for many members of the ASGRS Board who were present who know Dr Advincula better as “Arnie”. Dr Advincula was instrumental in helping many of the programs represented in the ASGRS get their start in robotics. The ASGRS is privileged to be able to call Dr Arnold Advincula, our “particular friend”.
Robotics in Gynecologic Cancer. This was a session chaired by Dr Joseph Ng, Chairman of Surgical Robotics at the National University Hospital, Singapore. This lively and engaging session showcased updates on the state of robot-assisted cancer surgery in Hong Kong by Dr Hextan Ngan from Hong Kong University. The session was enriched by a multi-disciplinary approach where successful programs in both the private and public sectors were highlighted to share lessons in program administration, case selection and access models for robotic surgery in gynecologic cancer by Dr Aziz Yahya of Prince Court Hospital in Kuala Lumpur and Dr Joseph Ng of the National University Hospital respectively. Participants found this session particularly useful with session feedback suggesting that the lecture content was “scientifically robust”, and that lectures running a successful program were “insightful” and “particularly relevant and useful”.
Dr Peter Barton-Smith and Dr Andy Tan from the Singapore General Hospital shared their collective experience with the robotic surgical management of Stage IV endometriosis. This was another very well-received presentation which sparked lively exchanges about the surgical approach and the pre-operative medical management, amongst other things. This session helped many delegates gain some insight into successfully completing cases where they might previously have converted to laparotomy, as evidenced by comments on the session by delegates.
Dr Rebecca Singson, Head of the Gynecologic Robotic Surgery Program at St. Luke's Medical Center Global City, Philippines shared her unique experience removing especially large benign pelvic masses with aid of robotic-assistance. Her 40 minute presentation highlighted pre-operative preparation, team involvement and having a clear surgical plan while allowing the anatomy to dictate the overall conduct of the surgery to ensure patient safety while maintaining a low level of procedural invasiveness.
Dr Jiheum Paek from Ajou University Hospital, Korea presented his experience pioneering single port robotic surgery. This session was particularly well-received by delegates, eliciting feedback that the session was “eye-opening”, “groundbreaking” and even “revolutionary”. Dr Paek was able to outline for delegates in clear stepwise fashion the evolutionary timeline of robotic’s transition to the single port platform from the standard 3 or 4 ports. His presentation showcased their early efforts (which were published in the Journal of Gynecologic Oncology, 2011) involving the use of modified extra-corporeal “ports” to facilitate completion of a total robotic hysterectomy through a single abdominal site [1].
Invited faculty from the United States included Dr Arnold Advincula, President of the AAGL and Dr John Dulemba from Forest Park Medical Center, Texas. Dr Dulemba was able to share his wealth of experience, being an early adopter in gyn robotics, with the delegates on topics ranging from the role of personal and team commitment to the success or failure of a gyn robotics program to clinically relevant tips on the robotic surgical management of moderate endometriosis in ensuring good clinical outcomes.
Other very well-received presentations included those by Dr Ivan Sini from Bunda Hospital in Jakarta and Dr Jennifer Jose from St Luke’s Global City, Manila. Dr Sini was able to share his team’s experience at Bunda Hospital in Jakarta with performing complex myomectomies with only two standard instrument arms instead of the more commonplace use of all 3 instrument arms. In Asia, the cost of engaging the 3rd robotic arm continues to be a barrier to it’s routine use. This session was useful in helping delegates improve access to their respective robotic surgical programs through cost management. Dr Jose’s presentation was particularly relevant, bringing home the emerging importance of urogynecology in Asia’s many greying populations and highlighting the pivotal role of robotics in minimizing the impact of surgical treatment for women requiring urogynecological surgery.
References
This meeting was also when the ASGRS Board was constituted and the society formally inaugurated.
In addition to faculty representing the ASGRS member countries, there was also invited faculty from the United States and Great Britain. The live surgery segment of the scientific program proved to a platform for an engaging and lively discussion on the pros and cons of specimen morcellation and the routine use of adhesion barriers.
Some of the highlights of the program included:
The opening plenary speech and inaugural lecture was delivered by Dr Arnold Advincula, President of the AAGL. His address was both a call to arms for surgeons to defend the use of robotics in gynecological surgical care, and more importantly a wakeup call to be vigilant in the application of robotic surgical technology to ensure it’s place in mainstream medicine. This was an special honor for the ASGRS, but also special on a very personal level for many members of the ASGRS Board who were present who know Dr Advincula better as “Arnie”. Dr Advincula was instrumental in helping many of the programs represented in the ASGRS get their start in robotics. The ASGRS is privileged to be able to call Dr Arnold Advincula, our “particular friend”.
Robotics in Gynecologic Cancer. This was a session chaired by Dr Joseph Ng, Chairman of Surgical Robotics at the National University Hospital, Singapore. This lively and engaging session showcased updates on the state of robot-assisted cancer surgery in Hong Kong by Dr Hextan Ngan from Hong Kong University. The session was enriched by a multi-disciplinary approach where successful programs in both the private and public sectors were highlighted to share lessons in program administration, case selection and access models for robotic surgery in gynecologic cancer by Dr Aziz Yahya of Prince Court Hospital in Kuala Lumpur and Dr Joseph Ng of the National University Hospital respectively. Participants found this session particularly useful with session feedback suggesting that the lecture content was “scientifically robust”, and that lectures running a successful program were “insightful” and “particularly relevant and useful”.
Dr Peter Barton-Smith and Dr Andy Tan from the Singapore General Hospital shared their collective experience with the robotic surgical management of Stage IV endometriosis. This was another very well-received presentation which sparked lively exchanges about the surgical approach and the pre-operative medical management, amongst other things. This session helped many delegates gain some insight into successfully completing cases where they might previously have converted to laparotomy, as evidenced by comments on the session by delegates.
Dr Rebecca Singson, Head of the Gynecologic Robotic Surgery Program at St. Luke's Medical Center Global City, Philippines shared her unique experience removing especially large benign pelvic masses with aid of robotic-assistance. Her 40 minute presentation highlighted pre-operative preparation, team involvement and having a clear surgical plan while allowing the anatomy to dictate the overall conduct of the surgery to ensure patient safety while maintaining a low level of procedural invasiveness.
Dr Jiheum Paek from Ajou University Hospital, Korea presented his experience pioneering single port robotic surgery. This session was particularly well-received by delegates, eliciting feedback that the session was “eye-opening”, “groundbreaking” and even “revolutionary”. Dr Paek was able to outline for delegates in clear stepwise fashion the evolutionary timeline of robotic’s transition to the single port platform from the standard 3 or 4 ports. His presentation showcased their early efforts (which were published in the Journal of Gynecologic Oncology, 2011) involving the use of modified extra-corporeal “ports” to facilitate completion of a total robotic hysterectomy through a single abdominal site [1].
Invited faculty from the United States included Dr Arnold Advincula, President of the AAGL and Dr John Dulemba from Forest Park Medical Center, Texas. Dr Dulemba was able to share his wealth of experience, being an early adopter in gyn robotics, with the delegates on topics ranging from the role of personal and team commitment to the success or failure of a gyn robotics program to clinically relevant tips on the robotic surgical management of moderate endometriosis in ensuring good clinical outcomes.
Other very well-received presentations included those by Dr Ivan Sini from Bunda Hospital in Jakarta and Dr Jennifer Jose from St Luke’s Global City, Manila. Dr Sini was able to share his team’s experience at Bunda Hospital in Jakarta with performing complex myomectomies with only two standard instrument arms instead of the more commonplace use of all 3 instrument arms. In Asia, the cost of engaging the 3rd robotic arm continues to be a barrier to it’s routine use. This session was useful in helping delegates improve access to their respective robotic surgical programs through cost management. Dr Jose’s presentation was particularly relevant, bringing home the emerging importance of urogynecology in Asia’s many greying populations and highlighting the pivotal role of robotics in minimizing the impact of surgical treatment for women requiring urogynecological surgery.
References
- Nam EJ, Kim SW, Lee M, Yim GW, Paek JH, Lee SH, Kim S, Kim JH, Kim JW, Kim YT. Robotic single-port transumbilical total hysterectomy: a pilot study. J Gynecol Oncol. 2011 Jun 30;22(2):120-6. doi: 10.3802/jgo.2011.22.2.120. PubMed PMID:21860738; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3152752.
