A seven-year-old boy has become the first patient in Britain to undergo robotic surgery for a kidney condition that if left untreated, can lead to loss of kidney function over time.
Reece Wilton from Hampshire underwent the surgery involving the Versius Surgical Robotic System at Southampton Children’s Hospital (SCH), part of University Hospital Southampton (UHS).
The youngster was diagnosed with pelviureteric junction obstruction, a condition in which there is a blockage or obstruction of urine flow from the kidney into the ureter, and which affects about one in 1 500 children.
Consultant paediatric urologist Ewan Brownlee performed the robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty procedure, which involved repairing the narrowing at the junction of the kidney pelvis and ureter.
“This has been three years in the making so it’s really exciting for the whole paediatric urology team – and paediatric urology in the UK – that the first operation has finally taken place,” he told The Independent.
“The evidence for use of robotics in surgery shows clear benefits for patients, from quicker healing time and smaller scars to, in some cases, better overall outcomes.”
The robotic surgery system has a 720-degree range of motion which allows the surgical instruments to be small enough to perform complex operations on paediatric patients and is being used as part of a study which will involve 150 patients.
Created by UK company CMR Surgical, it uses a unique “wrist rotation” for easy manipulation of the tip of the instrument, allowing the instruments to be smaller than otherwise commercially available, thus minimising the size of incision required.
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