Robotic Surgery Milestone at LewisGale Montgomery

LewisGale Hospital Montgomery robotic surgery program celebrated a patient treatment milestone, with one of its surgeons completing her 500th robotic surgery.

Since 2013, Amanda Reese, DO, FACS, a board-certified general surgeon, has routinely performed surgeries in robotic and laparoscopic operations including single site cholecystectomy, inguinal and ventral hernia repair, colectomy, anti-reflux surgery, and surgical endoscopy.

In addition to completing her robotic surgery milestone, Dr. Reese also recently performed the first robotic transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR) procedure at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, making it the first such surgery completed in the New River Valley.

TAR is a technique use to repair very large hernias. The abdominal wall is composed of different layers, which includes the transverse abdominis, a layer comprised of both muscle and fascia. The procedure releases the transverse abdominis layer, allowing the surgeon to stretch the patient’s own tissues to cover hernia defects.

“Large hernias use to be considered irreparable, depending on the size. With the TAR method, repair of these large hernias is now possible,” said Reese. “The robotic TAR involves six small incisions compared to a very large incision involved in the open technique, reducing hospital stay, offering the patient less post-operative pain, and allowing for a quicker return to normal activities.”

“We congratulate Dr. Reese on this achievement and we are proud to have surgeons of her caliber on our hospital staff who successfully serve the New River Valley community,” said Alan Fabian, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery chief executive officer. “This is a testament to the strength of our robotic surgery program at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery and the skillsets of our medical staff.”