Endometrial Cancer Staging: Removal of the sentinel lymph node and intra-operative identification of the ureter using ICG dye and Firefly Technique on DaVinci Robotic Platform, performed by Dr. Ortiz.
Dr. Ortiz continues to push the limits of what a surgical oncologist can do. Mentored by world leader and trailblazer, Dr. Camran Nezhat at Stanford University, she continues to push the limits of minimally invasive surgery.
Dr. Ortiz performed her first robotic surgery in 2006. Back then, many surgeons thought gynecologic robotic surgery was unrealistic and would harm patients. She met resistance from the establishment when she brought surgical robotics to community hospitals in Eastern Long Island in 2010. Robotic surgery has since become mainstay surgical specialties everywhere.
Even today, women surgeons meet resistance. But emerging data suggest that surgical outcomes for women surgeons are superior (Wall Street Journal, 2023). Dr. Ortiz is a prime example of what surgical expertise, courage, determination, and compassion can do. It is a testament to true grit, academic excellence, hard work, and persistence. She does it so that her patients can lead, long meaningful and productive lives – despite cancer. Patients enjoy shorter hospital stays, less pain, minimal blood loss, and faster recovery – all without compromising cancer outcomes or quality of life.
In 2019, Dr. Ortiz became Director of Robotic Gynecologic Surgery at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson and St. Catherine’s Hospital in Smithtown. She continues to improve patient outcomes by developing a new surgical technique for intraoperative identification of the ureter. The ureter is a tube that brings urine from the kidney to the bladder. It is at risk of injury during minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Ortiz performs pre-procedure cystoscopy with injection of dye into the ureter to enable quick identification. If you can see it, you can avoid it. Her work has been recognized by the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopy, a 7000-member international organization dedicated to minimally invasive gynecologic surgery research.
Shown above: Robotic removal of metastatic lymph nodes. This patient had an isolated recurrence of ovarian cancer in the lymph nodes of the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava 5 years after her initial treatment. These images illustrate the use of retrograde injection of the ureter with dye. The ureter lights up green when the camera light filter is switched on. Easily identified, the ureter is protected from injury. This operation on major vessels had minimal blood loss, the patient had little pain and went home the next day. The operation spared her a big incision, and she was able to move on with her life quickly. This is an example of pushing the limits for better patient outcomes.