Our Trust is one of the first in the UK to use robotic surgery in urogynaecology, making procedures safer for our patients and more efficient.

Due to the rarity of experts in robotic assisted urogynaecology surgeries in the UK, we invited Professor Cosima Brucker from Germany, to provide advice to our team.

She visited Queen’s Hospital on Monday 30 October to share her knowledge and expertise, and said: “I love what I do, and I love to share what I know. I have found a team here that is very interested in this work. They were capable of doing it without me, but they took the trouble to invite an expert to make sure they were doing everything correctly for their patients.” 

Our urogynaecology team treat women for a range of issues including incontinence, vaginal prolapse, recurrent urinary tract infections, bladder issues and pelvic floor injuries. While we have been using robotic assisted surgery for gynaecology procedures for some time, we only recently started performing them for urogynaecology patients.

The cases were completed by our robotic surgeons Yemi Coker and Roopa Nair, with Professor Brucker providing guidance on the complex techniques.

Roopa Nair, our Urogynaecology Lead, said: “We've completed five urogynaecology surgeries using the robot, which makes the procedures quicker and therefore less tiring for the surgeon. Operations that used to take up to four hours can now be done in as little as one hour.

“As we gain more experience, we’ll be able to treat more patients in less time which means more women getting the treatment they need quicker.”

Robotic assisted surgery is when surgeon sits at a computer console to control the robot, which uses small incisions, surgical instruments, and a camera. It gives more precision and a greater range of movement.

Yemi Coker, lead consultant of our Endometriosis Centre, added: “The robot has helped to cut down the surgery time as well as the recovery time for patients, as we can make smaller, more precise incisions.

“Not only this, we’re now able to offer a non-mesh alternative for pelvic organ prolapse surgery.”

Vaginal mesh surgery is where a piece of synthetic mesh, is inserted to hold the pelvic organs in place. Our non-mesh alternative is a significant step forward in patient care, offering a safer option.

Moreover, thanks to quicker recoveries, some patients can now undergo surgery and go home on the same day, reducing hospital stays.