Macquarie University Hospital has recently purchased The da Vinci® Surgical System, a minimally invasive technique that utilises the latest in surgical and robotics technologies. Our doctors will initially use this system for urological cases, with a focus on prostate surgery.

Facing any kind of urological surgery can create anxiety for patients. Traditional open surgery – in which large incisions are made to access the pelvic organs – has been the standard approach. Common drawbacks of this procedure include significant post-surgical pain, a lengthy recovery and an unpredictable and potentially long-term impact on continence and sexual function.

The da Vinci® Surgical System is ideal for both complex and delicate urological surgeries, particularly prostatectomies. The nerve fibres and blood vessels that are attached to the prostate gland must be delicately and precisely separated from the prostate before it is removed. Our surgeons are able to use the precision and control provided by this system to assist them in the removal of the potentially cancerous prostate while preserving important nerves and blood vessels. The benefits of this technique include significantly less pain, less complications, a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to normal daily activities.

To find out more about how the da Vinci® Surgical System could benefit your patients, please contact one of the five surgeons operating this state of the art technology at Macquarie University Hospital.

Associate Professor Celi Varol

02 9812 3838

Associate Professor Celi Varol is a urological cancer surgeon based at Macquarie University. He has an extensive minimally invasive cancer therapy practice. He is the Chairman of the Department of Urology with the Australian School of Advanced Medicine at Macquarie University and is the Director of the Minimally Invasive Cancer Therapy and Diseases Unit. He is also a full Associate Professor in Urology in the Department of Surgery at Macquarie University. He is one of the most experienced minimally invasive prostate cancer specialists in Australia, having performed over 700 Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomies and was the first to pioneer laparoscopic cystectomy and bladder replacement surgery for bladder cancer in Australia.

Dr Howard Lau

02 9635 5377

Dr Howard Lau is widely regarded in the field of kidney cancer, complex kidney surgery and prostate disease. He graduated from Sydney University in 1986. He was appointed Clinical Lecturer at The Oxford Transplant Centre in 1995. As well as working at Macquarie University Hospital, he holds the position of Senior Specialist in Urology and Transplant Surgery in Westmead Hospital. In 1998 he was first in Australia to perform Laparoscopic Radical Nephrectomy for kidney cancer. He has lectured and demonstrated surgery worldwide and has written chapters on Laparoscopic Donor and Laparoscopic Partial and Radical Nephrectomies.

Dr Justin Vass

02 9439 3899

Dr Justin Vass obtained his FRACS in Urology in 2000. He then spent two years in a Fellowship program first in Oxford and then in Hampshire in the United Kingdom. He was the first Urologist in Australia to obtain a Laparoscopic Fellowship. His interest is in minimally invasive surgery of the prostate and kidney. His main interests are benign and cancerous conditions of the prostate and kidney. He has lectured and demonstrated minimally invasive techniques in many parts of the world. He is a member of the Australasian, American, British and European Urological Societies. He is a lecturer at both the University of Sydney and Macquarie University School of Advanced Medicine.

Dr Andrew Brooks

02 9633 2088

Dr Andrew Brooks is a distinguished urological surgeon who has introduced, developed and continues to be involved with minimally invasive stone surgery and oncological surgery. Commencing his career at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney, he was awarded the Gordon Craig Fellowship. He then trained in the USA as a fellow in Urology at UCLA. He currently heads the Department of Urology for the Sydney West Area Health Service. He also chairs the urological oncology group for the Cancer Institute of NSW. He is a past president of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and was recently awarded the Society medal for outstanding contribution to urology.

Associate Professor Manish Patel

02 9633 2088

Associate Professor Manish Patel is a sub-specialist urological cancer surgeon with a special interest in prostate cancer. He received his uro-oncology fellowship from Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Centre in New York and also has a PhD in novel therapies for Prostate Cancer. Associate Professor Patel is a full academic of the University of Sydney, the Director of the Urological Cancer Outcomes Centre, Chair of the National Bladder Cancer Trials Group, a Leader of the National Urological Cancer Association and Chair of urological teaching at Sydney University. He has recently been made a fellow of the NSW Cancer Institute. Associate Professor Patel is internationally regarded for his expertise in prostate cancer surgery and has delivered many lectures on the subject internationally and nationally.