Dr. Ayesha Cheema is a primary care doctor with Mercy Personal Physicians at Columbia. She offers experienced and thoughtful primary care for adults of Howard County.
Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, includes disorders that cause inflammation of the intestines. IBD is treated at Mercy by expert gastroenterologists.
The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy offers a top rated team of surgeons, dedicated to advanced treatments of common and complex foot and ankle disorders.
Mercy offers emergency care on the Downtown Baltimore campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (410-332-9477) with access to a trained emergency medicine team, diagnostic services and consultations with specialists.
In case of an Emergency, Dial 911 and follow the instructions of the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) team.
Mercy Medical Center's downtown campus includes our Main Hospital - The Mary Catherine Bunting Center, McAuley Plaza and The Weinberg Center.
General visiting hours at Mercy are 11:00 am to 8:30 pm. Hours vary by floor, please check with the nursing staff or call 410-332-9555.
This 3D medical animation shows how three different types of hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) surgeries are performed, using robotic procedures. These surgeries include partial, total, and radical hysterectomy.
Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (commonly called da Vinci robotic surgery) is laparoscopic surgery performed with the aid of a robot, which provides the surgeon the ability to perform more precise movements of the instruments. As in traditional laparoscopic surgery, several small incisions are made in the abdominal area. With robotic surgery, the robotic arms, which hold the instruments, are inserted into these incisions and the surgeon controls the arm movements remotely from a console.
Intricate cancer surgery is now performed with the use of the da Vinci robot. Dr. Dwight Im is one of the nation’s leading da Vinci robot surgeons for genital tract cancers. In fact, he has developed a protocol called “Im’s Way” and now teaches other surgeons from across the U.S. and around the world this specialized technique. Using only 3 incisions about the size of a jelly bean, Dr. Im has worked to perfect maneuvering the robot’s arm to remove the cancer cells quickly, efficiently and in a way that significantly improves and eases the patient’s recovery.
The advantage the da Vinci robot offers is a complete 360-degree rotation of the equipment, allowing for extreme precision and latitude throughout the surgery. The da Vinci robot provides many of the benefits conventional minimally invasive surgery offers, such as streamlined procedures in the Operating Room, improved post-surgical recovery and reduced time to heal following surgery.
Treatment for gynecologic cancer depends on the tumor size, invasiveness and location. Some gynecologic cancers may be treated with robotic surgery. These include early stage cervical cancer, early stage ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. Surgical treatment for gynecologic cancers may be complemented with radiation therapy or chemotherapy when appropriate.
Gynecologic oncologists at Mercy are skilled at using the da Vinci robot to perform surgery to treat gynecologic conditions and cancers including endometrial, early stage ovarian and early stage cervical cancers. Robotic surgery can also be used to stage some cancers and determine the extent of the disease. Although not all women are candidates for robotic surgery, the da Vinci robot can be used to perform the following procedures:
Robotic surgery provides many benefits including, typically, a shorter hospital stay, less scarring and a faster return to daily activities, however, not all women are good candidates for robotic surgery.
Robotic surgery as the best treatment option is determined by reviewing a woman's overall health as well as her particular condition and the extent of the disease.
Some factors that may preclude women from robotic surgery include severe obesity, dense scar tissue due to prior abdominal surgery and large tumors. To determine whether or not you may be a candidate for robotic surgery, consult one of our gynecologic oncologists.
Hear from a patient who opted for robotic GYN surgery after learning she had cervical cancer. She went on to return to work only two weeks after surgery.
Hyung S. Ryu, M.D., is a highly skilled gynecologic surgeon, providing treatment of ovarian, cervical and uterine cancers at Mercy.
A young woman diagnosed with cervical cancer shares her story of shock, survival and giving to others.