Moviegoers who attended the premiere of the new Disney/Pixar animated flick, “WALL-E,” a film about a little robot that saves the world, had the opportunity to test drive a real robot courtesy of Doctors Medical Center. People of all ages tested their surgical skill on “Leo,” Doctors Medical Center’s sophisticated, minimally invasive da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System at Galaxy Theaters in Riverbank on June 27.

Nearly 330 people vied for prizes, including free popcorn, sodas, pedometers and surgical teddy bears, while they learned first hand how robotic surgery can be performed with an incision the size of a dime.

With the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, physicians at Doctors Medical Center can perform gynecological and urology surgeries resulting in less pain, shorter recovery times and the potential for better outcomes, thus allowing patients to transition back to their everyday life more quickly and easily.

The da Vinci Robotic Surgical System puts a computer in between a surgeon’s hands and the tips of electromechanically enhanced micro instruments. During this type of surgery, the surgeon is comfortably seated at a console a few feet away from the patient while the system seamlessly translates his hand, wrist and finger movements into precise actions of the surgical instruments inside the patient. Throughout the entire process, the surgeon views an actual image of the surgical site, while operating in real-time through tiny incisions.

Doctors Medical Center of Modesto, part of Tenet California, is a 465-bed acute care hospital located at 1441 Florida Ave. in Modesto. DMC offers a wide range of services, including the cardiology, neurology, emergency and trauma services, women and children’s services, orthopedics, medical/surgical, behavioral health, oncology, and critical/intensive care. To learn more about Doctors Medical Center, or to receive a referral to one of our 550 affiliated physicians, visit www.dmc-modesto.com.