Donielle A. Daigle, MD
Garden Park Medical Center is offering the latest breakthrough in robotic surgery geared toward to helping women across the Mississippi Gulf Coast heal faster, with less scarring. Donielle A. Daigle, MD, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, successfully performed a minimally invasive, single site (single incision) robotic hysterectomy at Garden Park Medical Center, the first on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The da Vinci® Surgical System uses breakthrough technology to offer a minimally invasive alternative for many complex surgical procedures. For patients that are facing a benign (non-cancerous) gynecologic condition such as: endometriosis, fibroid tumors, heavy menstrual bleeding or pelvic prolapse, a hysterectomy may be recommended.
“I am excited to be part of a team that is the first to offer an innovative solution for women’s healthcare,” states Dr. Daigle. “From a cosmetic standpoint, we have the capability to offer a scarless surgery for hysterectomies or the removal of ovaries, and/or cysts. As a woman, I understand how important it is to have this option.” The technology enables the surgeon to operate through a small incision in the patient’s navel. In a matter of weeks, the dime-sized scar is virtually invisible, which gives patients one of the most cosmetically appealing surgical results possible. Prior to advances in laparoscopic and robotic surgery, women requiring a hysterectomy could sometimes take weeks to recover, and they often had significant scarring on their abdomens.
With single-site instrumentation, procedures are passed through just one port inserted through the patient's navel. This allows all the instruments for surgery, including a three-dimensional camera and two surgical instruments, to pass through a single, tiny incision. The more slender instruments, along with the precisely translated movements of the surgeon through robotic technology, enhance the surgeon's dexterity and make the surgery even less invasive for the patient. In addition to smaller incisions, the da Vinci® robot also provides benefits to the patient such as less pain, fewer side effects, a reduced risk of infection, a shorter hospital stay and a quicker return to normal activities.
“With the implementation of the da Vinci® several years ago, we have enjoyed better outcomes and faster healing recovery times for our patients,” states Brenda Waltz, Chief Executive Officer of Garden Park Medical Center. “Dr. Daigle is a talented physician and one of a very small group of surgeons that are certified to perform robotic surgery and the first her to conduct a single –site benign hysterectomy.”