Robotic Surgery For Congenital Deformities in Children
~ Four year-long study also shows increasing trend in use of robotic surgical for non-urological reconstructive procedures in addition to urological procedures ~
Birth defects represent a considerable and increasing health challenge . However, advances in medical sciences coupled with early detection through neonatal screening have led to children born with congenital deformities or disorders being completely cured by surgery, especially robotic surgery. The results of a four-year long study by Dr Gursev Sandlas clearly highlighted the safety and feasibility of robotic surgery in the management of both urological and non-urological reconstructive procedures in children. The recently released study is the first to be published from India on the use of robotic surgery to treat congenital deformities in children.
According to Dr. Gursev Sandlas, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, there has been a significant shift towards management of children using the surgical robot over the last decade. Earlier the robot was used mainly to deal with complex urinary tract surgeries but these days it is being increasingly used for non-urinary tract surgeries too. Hence it was decided to carry out a study to see how the surgical robot has helped and how its use has grown in dealing with major surgical problems in children over the years.
The retrospective study was conducted by the Department of Paediatric surgery at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on 65 patients who were operated over a four-year period from 2017 to 2021. It is the first study published from India and the largest study of its kind undertaken in children from the Indian subcontinent. The study is the first audit of the use of robotic surgery in children and the insights and learnings can serve as a benchmark for future reconstructive procedures in children.
Robotic surgery is safer and has better results as compared to conventional techniques, and the study has demonstrated that many complex cases of congenital deformities in children can be safely and successfully addressed using robotic surgery. The study showed that of the 65, around 75% of the patients underwent urinary tract reconstructions, while 25% of the robotic surgeries were for non-urological congenital deformities. The average operative time was around one and a half hours, which showed a progressive improvement as more experience was gained. Only one patient required open conversion. No patient had any major post-operative complications. The study underlined the safety and feasibility of robotic surgery for management of both urological and non-urological reconstructive procedures in children.
Robotic surgeries in adults are primarily done in urological indications and the study done at KDAH proves that it can be successfully done in other cases also such as congenital anomalies of the liver, spleen, intestine etc. The Centre at KDAH under the guidance of Dr Gursev Sandlas is the only centre in western India performing robotic surgery in children.
The study has been accepted and is due to be published in a peer reviewed medical journal, the Journal of Laparoendoscopic and Advanced Surgical Techniques, the official monthly scientific journal of the International Paediatric Endosurgery Group.
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