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When choosing a university career, Wenceslao Villamil had two options in mind: becoming a doctor or a civil engineer. The choice was not easy for him, he liked both things (as much as he likes sports!), on the one hand he was attracted to being a surgeon, but he also imagined building bridges and designing routes. Finally he decided on medicine.
Before he began his senior year, he won a scholarship to attend the summer before graduation Methodist Hospital from Baylor University in Houston. “That’s when I started applying technology in medicine. Then, when I started my residency at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, my interest in minimally invasive surgery grew,” recalls Villamil, who is now head of the hospital’s Urological Robotic Surgery Department. A new stage began.
In 2000, a pioneering company in robotic surgery received FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval to operate on patients using the robotic system. That was the first step.
In 2001, the initiative arose to install a robot in the Italian hospital in Buenos Aires. At the same time, Villamil was finishing his residency and organized a rotation in the United States to further his training in robotic surgery, which piqued his interest.
He said he spent six months there in 2002 Cleveland Clinic and upon his return he joined the hospital’s laparoscopic surgery department. In 2008, he and other colleagues managed to integrate the country’s first robotic system.
After the robot was integrated, Villamil returned to the Houston Methodist Hospital to undertake formal training in robotic surgery. From that moment on it became his main area of development and dedication. Time passed and technology evolved: the first robot was replaced in 2014 by another new generation that continues to work, and in 2025 the new robot platform “Toumai” was launched.
His first statement dispels any mind or imaginative notion one might have on the subject: “Robotic surgery does not replace the surgeon, but rather expands his technical skills and provides him with better working tools.”. It requires thorough training and multidisciplinary teamwork. It is the natural evolution of laparoscopic surgery“It retains the advantages of minimal invasion and adds three-dimensional vision, superior precision and safer motion control,” he explains.
What impressed him most about robotic surgery, he said, was the quick recovery and low postoperative pain in patients operated on with minimally invasive procedures compared to large incision surgeries.
The “Toumai” system is a robot that helps doctors see the inside of the abdomen in very clear 3D images at ten times greater magnification. This is to clearly distinguish the areas that require surgery from those that require care to prevent damage.
The robot has a console where the surgeon operates mechanical arms that mimic his movements without shaking, a camera that shows everything in 3D and a system that allows remote operations via high-speed internet.
Thanks to “Toumai”, operations are possible more preciseCaused less bleeding and pain, and help people recover faster and can leave the hospital earlier.
“Robots work in one “Master-slave” mode: They respond to the actions of the surgeon responsible for each procedure. The system enables a better visualization of the operating field – with 10x magnification and in three dimensions – and movable movements of the instruments. This allows tumors to be removed through minimal incisions, with less pain and faster recovery,” he explains.
“At first we were cautious. The truth is that the results surprised us and we have been saying for many years that this type of procedure They achieved excellent results to other types such as conventional laparoscopy, adding that today there are more and more centers that are starting to introduce robotic surgery, there is more access today, more people are talking and patients are also reporting the results.”
When was the first intervention with a robot?
The first robotic surgery took place in July 2008: a radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in the hospital. We entered the operating room anxious but confident in the training we had undergone and our years of experience in standard laparoscopic surgery.
How many surgeries have you performed with robots?
We have more than 17 years working in robotic surgery, including more than 2,500 Urological procedures for oncological pathologies.
For what type of patients or pathologies is the use of this technology most recommended?
In urology, it is mainly used for localized prostate tumors, with a high cure rate achieved only in surgical procedures. The technology significantly reduces bleeding, with a very low transfusion rate, little pain and, in most cases, early discharge (24 hours).
In localized tumors (without additional prostate involvement), the “Toumai” system is very useful to address the anatomical structures involved in urinary continence and erectile function in men. In such cases, this allows both functions to be preserved and comprehensively improves the patient’s quality of life.
It is also used for complex kidney tumors where the goal is to remove only the tumor while sparing the rest of the kidney. In selected cases, it can be used for bladder tumors or reconstructive surgery of the urinary system.
How do patients react before, during and after robotic surgery?
At the beginning we had to explain to them in detail what robotic surgery meant. Many patients are already coming up with the idea of having surgery using this technology.
What are your goals as a doctor?
Heal the patient by trying to change his quality of life as little as possible.
Argentine medicine marks a new milestone with the launch of the surgical robot “Toumai”, the first in the country. This advance opens the new program for minimally invasive endoscopic robotic surgery, the use of which will be expanded from now on General, gynecological, pediatric and transplant surgeryand replaces laparoscopic or conventional techniques. This leap will make it possible to perform more complex procedures with greater precision and safety and with less invasive procedures for patients.
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