The Minimal Access Surgery Center (MASC) of the New York Presbyterian Hospital exists for the practice and research of surgical techniques that are less invasive for the patient. The end result is that the patient recovers faster and has fewer long-term consequences of the surgery. The minimal access technique is made possible by placing a telescope through a small incision into the surgical site. With a TV camera placed on the telescope, the surgeon can view the surgical site on a TV monitor and complete the procedure with this method of imaging. Placing little instruments through 2 to 4 other small incisions completes the surgical technique. Most incisions are less than ½ inch, and some are as small as 1/8 inch.

Surgeons at the Minimal Access Surgery Center are using these techniques in most fields of surgery. Each surgical subspecialty has areas of expertise for the practice of procedures unique to their specialty. These techniques are detailed on other pages of the website. A new technology available to all subspecialties is surgical robotics. Both campuses of the Minimal Access Surgery Center now have the da Vinci™ Surgical System. This system allows surgeons to control robotic instruments to complete techniques in small spaces in a patient. Specifically, surgeons in the fields of cardiac surgery, urology, general surgery, and gynecology are actively pursuing the use of this technology for the betterment of patient care. READ MORE...