Cremona Hospital implements Da Vinci robotic surgery system

The ASST Cremona hospital has officially launched robot-assisted surgery following the installation of the Da Vinci surgical system. The technology will be shared between the surgical teams at the Cremona and Oglio Po hospitals to expand minimally invasive options for patients.

The system's inaugural procedure was a nephroureterectomy—the removal of the kidney and ureter—performed by the Urology team led by Fabrizio Verweij. Unlike traditional laparoscopy, the robotic system allows surgeons to operate from a console using a magnified 3D view, translating their hand movements to specialized instruments with greater degrees of freedom and precision in complex anatomical spaces.

Dr. Verweij emphasized that the robot does not replace the surgeon but rather enhances the surgical gesture by providing better control and access to difficult angles. The choice of robotic assistance versus traditional methods is determined by surgeons on a case-by-case basis, depending on the patient's condition and the specific requirements of the operation.