Mandi
1 March 2024
DIVYA AZAD
The Department of Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery, Fortis Hospital Mohali, has successfully treated multiple patients suffering from complex urological cancers via the world’s most advanced 4th Generation Robot – Da Vinci Xi.
Dr Dharmender Aggarwal, Consultant,Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery at Fortis Hospital Mohali, hastreated twosuch patients through robot-aided surgeries.
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 Patientsubsequently underwent a re-section of the bladder tumour at another hospital. However, after his condition failed to improve, he approached Dr Aggarwal at Fortis Mohali. Following a medical examination, the team of doctors led by Dr Aggarwal performed Robot-assisted Radical Cystectomy, wherein the entire bladder and nearby lymph nodes were extracted.
During the robot-aided surgery, the Patient’s entire urinary bladder was removed, ureters were joined to a segment of the small bowel, and a new channel was created to pass urine in the Stoma Bag.Despite the Patienthaving pre-existing cardiacand renal issues, the surgery was successful and the Patient started walking after 10 hours of the procedure. He was discharged five days later on 20thDecember, 2023. He has recovered fully and is leading a cancer-free life today.
In another case, a 22-year-old Patienthad been experiencing blood in his urine (hematuria) along with abdominal pain. His CT scan revealed a large renal mass (7 cm) in his left kidney. The Patient was advised to undergo a surgery for removal of the entire left kidney. As his health deteriorated, he approached Dr Aggarwalat Fortis Mohali. The case was also complex as the renal lesion was 7 cm in size and had not only invaded more than half of his kidney, but was also closely attached to major blood vessels. Any delay in medical intervention would have caused the tumour to grow in size and impact the other organs.
Dr Aggarwal performed Robot-aided Partial Nephrectomy (removing part of the kidney to treat a disease) on 21stNovember, 2023. The tumour was not only removed completely, but the large kidney lesion was extracted and the remaining kidney was saved. The Patient had a smooth, post-operative recovery and started walking within eight hours of the surgery. He was discharged on the third day.
Discussing the cases, Dr Aggarwal, said, “Compared to the usual stay of 12-14 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 thetumouronly and save the kidney. Robot-aided surgery is 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 are difficult to reach with the human hand can be accessed through robot-assisted arms that can rotate 360 degrees.”
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 till now.
