2007 Press Releases

Pediatric Urologist Uses Robotic Technology To Repair A Kidney Blockage On A Pediatric Patient For The First Time At
Saint Barnabas Medical Center

Livingston, N.J. -- On October 18, one-year-old Lino Piazzi became the first patient at Saint Barnabas Medical Center to receive surgery to repair a kidney blockage using an advanced robotic technology called the another da Vinci™ Surgical System. Jeffrey A. Stock, M.D., attending pediatric urologist, used the da Vinci Surgical System to perform pyeloplasty, a procedure to repair a blockage in the left kidney.

"Using the da Vinci robot, we eliminated the segment of the ureter that was too narrow and sewed the ends back together,” reports Dr. Stock, who performed the first robotic surgical procedure on a pediatric patient in New Jersey in 2003. “The robot system allows us to sew as precisely as in the open procedure, but the operation is less invasive and less painful than traditional surgery.”

Lino Piazzi, who lives in Denville, had a congenital abnormality that was discovered on an ultrasound in utero in the third trimester. If the surgery was not performed, long-term damage of the kidney would result, reports Dr. Stock. Before ultrasound technology found these congenital abnormalities, many children with this problem developed impaired kidneys by their teenage years.  

Traditional surgery to repair this condition includes creating a 4-5" incision below the patient's 12th rib and muscles to reach the affected area, which results in a painful recovery for the patient, according to Dr. Stock. The da Vinci robot allows the reconstructive procedure to be performed in a minimally invasive manner with high precision through four incisions that are a half-inch or less. The hospital stay, as compared to traditional open pyeloplasty, is decreased from three days to one.

The da Vinci System consists of a surgeon's console, a patient-side cart, a high performance 3-D vision system and EndoWrist articulating instruments. In the operating room, the surgeon sits at the console with his/her hands on the master controls and his/her eyes on a 3-D image of the surgical field. From the patient-side cart, two robotic arms and one endoscope arm precisely translate the surgeon's movements through small puncture incisions in the patient. Supporting surgical team members install the instruments needed for the procedure and supervise the robotic arms and tools during use.

A Little Boy Quickly on the Mend
Jeannette Piazzi required an ultrasound in her third trimester because the baby was in the breech position. Although the baby moved out of the breech position, the ultrasound found a more concerning issue, an enlarged kidney. After birth, Mr. and Mrs. Piazzi took Lino to Dr. Stock for an evaluation. When the condition did not resolve in the first year, surgery was required. Fortunately, during that first year, Lino did not experience any urinary discomfort and urinary function was almost normal.

“We are so thankful that we did catch the problem on the ultrasound because otherwise we would never have known that he had it,” says Leonard Piazzi. “By the next morning after surgery he was standing up in his crib and by the next day he was ready to chase his big sister around. He was a real trooper.”

Lino, who enjoys playing with building blocks, eating all kinds of food, and watching Dora the Explorer, is back playing with sister, Pia, and has made a full recovery. His parents are pleased with the care he received from Dr. Stock.

“He is a very calming doctor and he alleviated any concerns that we had about the procedure,” says Mr. Piazzi, “Everything went as planned.”

A board-certified urologist, Dr. Stock is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He has published more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been an associate editor of the journal Urology. Dr. Stock has performed robotic surgery on children as young as 1 year of age for medical conditions including ureteropelvic junction obstruction, ectopic ureters, intra-abdominal testes and dysplastic kidneys.

Saint Barnabas Medical Center Department of Surgery

The Department of Surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center is comprised of 16 surgical, diagnostic and support sections, and combines the skills of Saint Barnabas' surgeons with expert perioperative care by specially trained nurses and other health care professionals. The Department provides a range of complete to minimally invasive cardiac procedures, cataract surgery, laser surgery, plus non-invasive diagnostic testing for major and peripheral artery disease. For more information or call 1-888-SBHS-123.

Date: November 5, 2007

Saint Barnabas Contact:  Beth Salamon, 973-322-4926

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