Senhance: New Robotic Surgery for Colon Polyps

Doctors at AdventHealth in Orlando are using the newly FDA approved Senhance system for minimally-invasive abdominal surgery. Unlike other robotic systems, the Senhance provides real-time haptic feedback through a surgeon's fingertips!

Fifty-nine-year old Deliz Flores was living in Puerto Rico two years ago when she started having sharp pain in her abdomen. But before she could see her doctor, Hurricane Maria struck.

"I couldn't keep the appointment. Everything was turned upside down," Flores said.

Flores relocated to Orlando with family, but in the months it took to resettle, her symptoms got much worse. Doctors found a colon polyp that needed to come out.

"I got scared. Very scared. I said this is something I have to do right away," said Flores.

Colorectal surgeon Teresa deBeche-Adams, MD, FACS, FASCRS from AdventHealth Orlando thought Flores would be a good candidate for surgery with a new robotic system called the Senhance. Tiny surgical tools are inserted through small holes in a patient's abdomen. Surgeons control the robot from a work station. Special glasses allow them to see inside the body in 3D. But Dr. deBeche-Adams says the biggest difference is haptic feedback.

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"It actually moves a little bit if we're putting too much tension on the tissues or pushing too hard. The robot actually tells us that's happening," explained Dr. deBeche-Adams

Surgeons were able to remove the polyp, which was cancerous.

"We did a perfect cancer operation for her. All of the margins were negative. None of the lymph nodes had any spread to it. So she's pretty much done," Dr. deBeche-Adams said.

"I'm 100 percent confident I made the right choice," said Flores.

Cutting-edge surgery-leading to a cure.

Because the surgery was minimally invasive, Flores was out of the hospital three days after the cancer was removed. Normally, she would have required about a seven-day hospitalization. Dr. deBeche-Adams says in addition to cancer surgery, the Senhance can be used to treat conditions like diverticulitis and Crohn's disease.