- First Single Medical Institute in the World to Achieve This Mark

Severance Hospital recently recorded its 10,000th robotic surgery procedure using the da Vinci Surgical System.The first single medical institute in the world to reach this mark, Severance has been offering robotic surgeries since July 2005, when its first robotic laparoscopic surgery was successfully performed.

- Doctors from around the World Visit Severance to Learn Robotic Surgery Techniques

Severance Hospital is a world leader in robotic surgery, with over 1,800 doctors from 28 countries, including the U.S., Japan, and Italy, having visited its training center to learn robotic surgery techniques.  Among the Severance doctors and professors who have helped to establish the global standards for robotic surgery are Chung Woung-youn (thyroid cancer), Hyung Woo-jin (gastric adenocarcinoma), Min Byung-soh (anal diseases), Choi Young-deuk (prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma), and Rha Koon-no (prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma). To enhance its cutting-edge facilities, Severance Hospital recently acquired FireFly Fluorescence Imaging for its da Vinci Surgical System, providing doctors with real-time, image-guided identification of key anatomical landmarks using near-infrared technology.  It has also begun performing Single-Site da Vinci surgeries, in which surgeons operate through the patient’s belly button to remove the gallbladder, resulting in virtually scarless surgery.  Furthermore, Severance has established its own protocols for the Dual Luciferase Reporter Assay System, which, using bioluminescence (light emitted from a biological source), allows doctors to detect certain infections and monitor cancer progression. With the commercialization of these medical technologies, Yonsei officials expect Severance’s profits to grow significantly.  Currently, the hospital records annual profits of more than 700,000 USD from its short-term education and training programs for foreign doctors and nurses.