Pune Engineer Undergoes Robotic-Assisted Surgery For Rare Renal Cyst

A 37-year-old software engineer from Andhra Pradesh underwent a robotic-assisted surgery for a rare renal cyst at a city hospital recently, reports The Times of India. The patient, who had been suffering from pain in the flank, was diagnosed with a cyst (hydatid cyst) almost replacing his right kidney , a condition seen in only 0.2% of renal cysts. "It is probably for the first time in the world medical literature that a renal hydatid cyst has been operated upon with robotic assistance," urosurgeon Rajendra Shimpi, head of urology division at Ruby Hall Clinic, said. Shimpi carried out the surgery a week ago.

He said, "The surgery was a challenge due to the size of the cyst and the possible severe anaphylactic shock, a life threatening allergic reaction that can happen due to accidental spillage of the cystic fluid. However, we could avoid these complications with meticulous and precise execution coupled with team work."

The actual surgery took two hours with the blood loss of less than 100ml. "Due to the magnification of the surgical field and precision, which we achieved with the robotic surgery , a part of the kidney could be saved," Shimpi said, adding that the patient could have lost the entire kidney otherwise.

The patient was discharged on the third post-operative day . "He could resume his duties in 1-2 days as the surgery was done through small holes in the abdominal," he said. Bomi Bhote, chief executive officer (CEO) of Ruby Hall Clinic, said, "I believe this marks a big step in the advancement of robotics and the introduction of advanced technology to the operating room. With a robotic system and experts performing never-seen-before cases, we open up a whole new chapter of operations that could not have been performed otherwise."