Robot-aided surgery for urological cancers safe: Expert
Dr Dharmender Aggarwal, Consultant, Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, addressing a press conference here ragarding the benefits of robot-aided surgery, said, “Compared to the usual stay of 8-10 days in an open surgery, robot-aided surgery allows a patient to walk on the same day of the procedure. Experiencing blood in urine is not a good sign and often points towards a more serious problem. With the help of newer technologies, we are now able to remove the tumour only and save the kidney.”
Dr Dharmender Aggarwal has undergone training in complex cancer surgeries and robot-aided surgery from London, and has performed more than 550 robotic surgeries cases so far.
He said robot-aided surgery was the latest form of minimal invasive surgery and provides a 3D view of the operative field via a special camera inserted into the body of the patient. Parts of the body which were difficult to reach with the human hand can be accessed through robot-assisted arms that can rotate upto 360 degrees.
The Department of Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Fortis Hospital, has successfully treated multiple patients suffering from complex urological cancers via the world’s most advanced fourth generation robot – Da Vinci Xi, he said.
In the first case, a 78-year-old patient had been experiencing blood in his urine (hematuria), along with intermittent abdominal pain. A CT-scan revealed a large tumour (7cm) in his urinary bladder, which was invading into its muscles. The team of doctors, led by Dr Aggarwal, performed robot-assisted Radical Cystectomy, wherein the entire bladder and nearby lymph nodes were extracted. Despite the patient having pre-existing cardiac and renal issues, the surgery was successful and the patient is leading a cancer-free life today.
In another case, a 56-year-old patient, who had undergone a renal transplant in 2018, due to chronic kidney disease, found a 3-cm tumour in his transplanted kidney. Dr Aggarwal performed robot-assisted transplant kidney partial nephrectomy. The patient’s renal vessels were dissected and the tumour was removed, while preserving the kidney. He recovered fully and is leading a normal life today.
