Story and Photos by Julie Unger
Surgical assistant Haydee Rodriguez with Dr. Edward Becker and Dr. Fred Muhletaler.
Palm Beach Urology Associates Raises The Bar In Robotic Surgery Dr. Fred Muhletaler, a specialist in the da Vinci Surgical System, has joined the Wellington-based urology practice. lthough the basics of urology remain the same, technology has changed by leaps and bounds in the 31 years since Dr. Edward Becker began Palm Beach Urology Associates. Originally a solo practice, Palm Beach Urology Associates has grown substantially, with several doctors on staff serving four locations. In 1990, Dr. Rafael Lopez joined the practice, followed by Dr. Damian Portela and Dr. Georgis Patsias. “Several years ago, the robotic aspect of urol-
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july 2016 | wellington the magazine
ogy came into the picture, and at one point, Dr. Portela and I both got trained to do robotics,” said Becker, a longtime Wellington resident. “During that time, I realized that in order to really do robotics the way it needs to be done, it needs to be somebody who has a lot of experience and a lot of training.” Their results were good, but it took Portela and Becker a long time in the operating room. They decided it was time to bring a robotics specialist into the practice, especially since there wasn’t, at the time, anyone in the county who was a fellowship-trained robotics surgeon, Becker explained. One of the newest members on Becker’s team is Dr. Fred Muhletaler, of Palm Beach Advanced Robotics, who specializes in utilizing robotic