Two days after becoming the first woman to undergo the robotic-assisted procedure in the region on Saturday, the 40-year-old was packing her bags to go home.

“When it was first suggested I thought ‘Wow! I didn’t really know I could have that in Wollongong’,” the mother-of-two said on Monday.

“My gynaecologist told me it involved more precision, and therefore better recovery, and so I was happy to undergo the procedure. I didn’t think I’d feel this good this quickly and I’ve been told I can go home today.”

Since the installation of the da Vinci Xi surgical system at Wollongong Private Hospital in May, a number of male patients have successfully undergone the minimally invasive surgery for prostate cancer.

Now the advanced system is available for women requiring surgery for gynaecology procedures such as removal of the uterus, or fibroids in the uterus, or to treat endometriosis.

Wollongong gynaecologist Dr Dharmesh Kothari has trained extensively over the last six months to give Illawarra women this option.

“I am excited to be part of this state-of-the-art technology which has helped more than three million women around the world, and is now available in the Illawarra,” he said.

“I am passionate about delivering the best care for my patients and I strongly believe Illawarra women deserve access to leading treatment, close to home.”

Dr Kothari said while surgeons remained 100 per cent in control over the robotic-assisted system, it allowed them to undertake delicate and complex operations through just a few small incisions.

The surgeon sits in an ergonomically-designed console in the theatre, and their hand movements filter through to the robotic arms which work inside the patient’s body. 

“The robotic arms have cameras attached which give the surgeon access to 3D, high-definition vision which is highly magnified,” Dr Kothari said. 

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“This enables surgeons to work with more precision, and is also more comfortable so they can undertake more complicated operations over several hours without becoming as fatigued.”

The system actually takes surgery beyond the limits of the human hand, as the overhead design and thinner, longer instrument shafts allow for a greater range of motion and operative reach.

“Compared to traditional surgery, this leads to less pain and bleeding for the patient, which means they recover much better,” Dr Kothari said.

Patients do not have to pay any additional fees for access to the $3 million system, which will be progressively rolled out for different specialities according to Wollongong Hospital CEO David Crowe.

“This cements the reason we purchased this system – to stop patients having to go to Sydney to access such cutting-edge technology ,” he said.

“It’s now used for urology, colorectal and gynaecological procedures and surgeons in other specialties – including head and neck and upper GI surgery – are currently in training.”