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Betty H. Williams, 70, had a complete hysterectomy on Sept. 6, 2011, her 70th birthday. The surgery was performed by James (Jowell) Wilder, M.D., who specializes in gynecologic surgical oncology at North Central Baptist Hospital. But Dr. Wilder has put his surgical technique on the path of the future-robotic surgery with the advanced da Vinci SI surgical system .
Williams, a retired schoolteacher, says she is thankful for the advanced robotic technique Dr. Wilder used for her birthday surgery. "Even though I didn't get cake, it was a great birthday present."
Dr. Wilder began embracing robotic surgery in mid-2007 to help his patients in their fight against vaginal, uterine, ovarian, cervical, and vulvar cancers. A third-generation South Texas physician, Dr. Wilder was impressed with presentations on robotically-performed surgeries in 2006.
He was especially struck by the drastically lower amount of blood loss with robotic surgery, as well as lower patient risk, less pain, and shorter hospital stays.
"It was very clear to me that would be the new standard of care," says Dr. Wilder.
Surgical incisions are smaller, he explains, so there is less blood loss and pain, as well as less scarring.
"I see a lot of different benefits to (robotic surgery)," says Dr. Wilder. "The outcomes for the patients are very good. There are nuances to the technology that allow me, when I sit down and think about what patients say to me about their surgeries and successes, to realize all the benefits."
Like Betty H. Williams, Georgia Priour, 63, underwent a complete hysterectomy performed robotically by Dr. Wilder. Georgia Priour is a social worker who works with death and dying and patients with cancer diagnoses. When she, herself, was diagnosed with uterine cancer, her world stopped.
"I was shocked and fear set in," she says. "You never think it will happen to you."
Her gynecologist suggested she see Dr. Wilder for robotic, instead of laparoscopic, surgery.
"Dr. Wilder put me at ease right away," Georgia Priour says. "He explained it and took such time with me. He created an atmosphere of trust. I just can't say enough about him."
She had her surgery at North Central Baptist Hospital, where she spent less than 24 hours after the surgery.
"I love that hospital," she says. "All the staff, I just can't say enough good things about them."
And also like Betty Williams, Georgia Priour had no pain after surgery.
"I had to watch to not over-do because I felt so good," she says. "And my scars are so tiny."
Georgia Priour says it is amazing to think about how robotics has advanced surgical techniques. She also says she has complete confidence in Dr. Wilder and his ability and knowledge of robotic surgical techniques.
"I hope other women will not be afraid to have robotic surgery," she says. "This doctor knows what he's doing."
The complex da Vinci SI robot does require a skilled surgeon, says Dr. Wilder. "The robotic hands are mimicking your same movements." Think of a complicated version of the Wii game system, only in the hands of a skilled physician.
In the past three years, Dr. Wilder has performed more than 500 robotic surgeries. He believes so strongly in the benefits of robotic surgery that he now trains other physicians in robotic surgical techniques.
Another major benefit of robotic surgery that may not be immediately apparent, says Dr. Wilder, is that it allows for a larger number of women to be able to have surgery without complications. For obese patients, robotic surgery reduces wound infections, says Dr. Wilder. And now older patients can get the same surgeries performed robotically as younger women, he adds. Another benefit is that after robotic surgery, patients heal faster so that they can continue to other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy faster than with traditional surgeries, helping them more in their fight against cancer.
"For me, it's made my practice very beneficial to my patients," says Dr. Wilder.
Patient Betty H. Williams says her hospital stay was short and her recovery time quick. "I had no pain," she says. "I had to remind myself when I got home that I'd had surgery so that I could slow down."
She plans to resume an active lifestyle and return to swimming three days each week.
"I think anyone who experiences this type of surgery with Dr. Wilder is very lucky, and I can't imagine why they wouldn't be happy with it," she says.
Likewise, Georgia Priour also has a good prognosis, being told she was 99 percent cured after the surgery, even without further treatments. She returned to work within six weeks after her surgery, and she says she now has new insights into the people with whom she works.
"For me, being in hospice, I really understand what it feels like to be diagnosed with cancer," she says. "It's helped me even more to not take things for granted."