Robot surgeon removes 5kg mass from ovaries in UAE

Supplied photo

The painless surgery was done through a small 2cm opening in the abdomen and patient was sent home within 24 hours.

By Saman Haziq

Published: Fri 11 Dec 2020, 6:29 PM

A robot surgeon has removed a tumour weighing 5kg from a 44-year-old woman’s ovaries.

The complicated surgery, conducted at Al Qassimi Hospital for Women and Children in Sharjah, used the Da Vinci Robotic surgical system that performs minimally invasive surgery with advanced set of instruments and a 3D high-definition view of the surgical area.

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The procedure was initiated by Dr Labib Riachi, reconstructive surgery and robotic gynecology specialist and member of the American Board of Female Pelvic Medicine, with the help of Al Qassimi Hospital’s gynecologists.

“The painless surgery was done through a small 2cm opening in the abdomen and patient was sent home within 24 hours without complication and with minimal pain compared to traditional surgeries,” explained one of the doctors who was part of the team.

The Ministry of Health of Prevention (Mohap) has conducted over 135 successful gynecological surgeries using the da Vinci robotic procedure, with the support of visiting consultants. The minimally invasive surgery is widely used in urology and gynecology procedures.

Talking about the benefits of the robotic surgery, Dr Safia Al Khaja, director of Al Qassimi Women’s and Children’s Hospital, said it is said to yield “improved outcomes”. “Patients who get their surgeries done through the Da Vinci robotic surgery procedure have chances of fewer complications compared to patients who had open and laparoscopic surgery,” she said.

AI-powered surgeries

Dr Mohamed Salim Al Olama, Mohap undersecretary and head of board of directors of the Emirates Health Services Corporation, said the ministry is keen in harnessing the latest robots to conduct surgeries, and was doing its utmost to double its achievements in the artificial intelligence field. “This is in line with the wise directives of the UAE Government, which seeks to become a hub of incorporating AI (artificial intelligence) in health services in the Middle East for performing robotic surgeries,” he said.

saman@khaleejtimes.com