Vattikuti Urology Institute

The Vattikuti Urology Institute

VUI Logo
Established April, 2001
Chairman Dr. Mani Menon [1]
Chief of Urology Dr. Jack Elder [2]
Staff 150 (2007) [2]
Location Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan  United States
Website Vattikuti Urology Institute

The Vattikuti Urology Institute (VUI) at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan is a clinical and research center for urological care.[2] The VUI is notable for being the first institute to establish robotic surgery as a treatment for patients with prostate cancer.[2][3][4] To date, the VUI has performed more than 5,000 robotic procedures.[2] The institute currently has 110 regular staff members, 19 full-time senior staff members, 14 clinical staff members and 5 full-time Ph.D scientists.[2] Ranked consistently high by U.S. News and World Report, VUI is also one of the largest and most active urology departments in the United States, with nearly 50,000 patients annually from all 50 states and nearly 25 countries.[2]

History

The Henry Ford Hospital recruited Dr. Mani Menon, a urologist, to revive the prostate cancer program in 1997.[1] In 1999, a Michigan philanthropist, Raj Vattikuti announced a research initiative to help patients with prostate cancer. The University of Michigan, William Beaumont Hospital and Henry Ford Hospital competed for the funds. Menon’s proposal, submitted by Henry Ford Hospital, was to establish an institute to develop techniques of minimally invasive surgery for prostate cancer. This proposal was accepted by the Vattikuti Foundation and the Vattikuti Urology Institute was initialized in 2001.[5]

Clinical Care and The VUI

The Vattikuti Urology Institute offers treatment for the spectrum of urological diseases including:

The VUI & Robotic Surgery

The Vattikuti Urology Institute is considered a pioneering institute in what has been called a “medical revolution”:[6] the use of robotics for the surgical removal of the prostate and other urological procedures. There is lesser trauma and pain, shorter hospital stays, and minor scarring for the patient undergoing minimally invasive robotic surgery.[7]
Robotic Surgeons at the VUI are equipped with two 60" by 80" 3-D projection screens in their operating rooms.[8] The entire surgical team wears 3-D glasses inside the OR, and thus get the same three-dimensional experience which increases surgical precision; the surgeon can easily find and preserve delicate nerves and muscle that surround tissues. Minimally invasive robotic surgery at the VUI is done using a computer enhanced system called the da Vinci Surgical System. VUI's surgeons have developed and practice a variety of minimally invasive procedures utilizing robots.[9] These surgeries include:

The "Vattikuti Institute Prostatectomy"

The Vattikuti Institute Prostatectomy (VIP) is a robotic procedure developed by the VUI.[10] This is the institute's preferred procedure for the removal of the prostate. Dr. Mani Menon had developed the VIP procedure and under his guidance, urologists at the VUI were the first in the world to perform using the da Vinci robot. In 2001, only about a 100 VIP procedure surgeries were being done worldwide.[2] In 2007, more than 30,000 patients had the VIP procedure performed on them.[2] Patients undergoing the VIP procedure have the following potential advantages:

Urology Robotic Surgery Team [11]

Clinical and Basic Science Research

The Vattikuti Urology Institute is an active research institute.[12] Topics of research include:

Residency Program

Residents train in virtually every field of urology in one of the busiest and technologically advanced urology clinics in the world.[13] The program accepts two applicants a year. The residency program at the VUI is a 6-year program. Distinguished alumni throughout the world include:

Current Residents [17]

Frank J. Penna, M.D. Pranav Sharma, M.D. Abd-El-Rahman M. Abd-El-Barr, M.D. Kirsten Janosek-Albright, M.D. Steve Rivera, M.D. Jessica Meyers, M.D. Jesse Sammon, D.O. Logan Campbell, M.D. Hanhan Li, M.D. Daniel Pucheril, M.D.

The Vattikuti Foundation

The Vattikuti Urology Institute is named after Raj Vattikuti and his wife Padma Vattikuti. The Vattikuti Foundation is a philanthropy organization located in Michigan, founded by the Vattikutis. Vattikuti is the founder and CEO of Covansys Corporation in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
The Vattikuti Foundation is notable for making the largest philanthropic contribution for cancer research in Michigan.[18] The foundation donated $40 million to the Henry Ford Hospital and the William Beaumont Hospital in 2001.[18] The donation to Henry Ford Hospital was used to support the treatment and the study of prostate cancer, research, and treatment advances.

New York University Collaboration

To further extend its influence, the VUI and the New York University School of Medicine entered a joint collaboration in March, 2008.[19] The goal of this collaboration was to expand resident education, patient care and academic exchange between the institutions in the field of urology. Combined initiatives include female urology, oncology, minimally invasive surgery, basic research, and outcome analysis.

IRUS

The International Robotic Urology Symposium (IRUS) is a robotic conference which was initiated by the VUI in 2004. The last IRUS was held at the Wynn in Las Vegas in January 2010.[20] The IRUS has a strong reputation of containing world renowned faculty to conduct lectures, individual sessions and Q&A forums. This event generally encompasses patients, physicians and residents from around the world in fields of urology and oncology.

Chairmen

See also

References

External links