• Providers and Locations
• Audiology
• Cranial Base Surgery
• Ear and Balance Disorders
• Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• General Otolaryngology
• Head and Neck Cancer Surgery
• Hearing and Hearing Aid Services
• Implantable Hearing Devices
• Microsurgery of the Ear
• Nasal/Sinus Conditions, Surgery and Rhinology
• Otology/Neurotology
• Smell and Taste Disorders
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Thyroid Surgery and Nodules
• Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS)
• Voice, Speech and Swallowing Disorders

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Penn Develops the World’s First Transoral Robotic Surgery
Revolutionizing and redefining the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer, doctors at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania are offering new hope for patients with tumors of the mouth and throat. Traditionally, the large neck incision required for surgeries of the tongue, tonsil, voice box or throat resulted in painful recovery, including difficulty swallowing, scarring and often extensive reconstructive surgery.

Being the first to see new possibilities in already groundbreaking treatment options has long been Penn’s legacy. Co-directors of the Penn Center for Head and Neck Cancer, Bert O’Malley, MD, and Gregory Weinstein, MD, furthered the advancement of successful robotic surgeries to develop a procedure called transoral robotic surgery, or TORS. Designed to avoid open neck surgery altogether, TORS is done through the patient's mouth and provides unprecedented access to the small and often difficult-to-reach areas of the mouth and throat.

The high-quality optics, miniaturized size of the robotic arms as well as the computer-enhanced dexterity enable the surgeon to see clearly and operate on a variety of tumors, even in the most obscure location in the throat. It's a revolutionary breakthrough enabling shorter, virtually scarless head and neck surgery.

Drs. O’Malley and Weinstein say TORS is changing the way both cancerous and noncancerous tumors of the head and neck are being treated. “TORS has a dramatic impact on our ability to completely remove tumors while preserving speech, swallowing, and other key quality of life issues,” they said.

Penn Pioneers
Penn is the pioneer in this innovative procedure, with more than 120 successful transoral robotic surgeries performed thus far. In fact, the team has expanded the program to include treatment for complex skull-base tumors. Drs. O'Malley and Weinstein have trained eight sites across the United States to do the TORS techniques and three are now establishing TORS programs. They have also trained four sites internationally and the training program is continuing to grow.

 

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