CHENNAI: Kidney stone disease has a characteristic nature of multiple recurrence and involvement of both the kidneys commonly. Hence, a bilateral kidney stone disease patient undergoes multiple surgeries to achieve cure. Simultaneous Bilateral Endoscopic Surgery (SBES) is a novel surgery where two teams of urologists operate on both the kidneys at the same time in a minimally invasive manner.
One team operates on the renal stone disease by a miniaturised incision size of, using keyhole whereas, the other team accesses the opposite kidney via the urethra (natural orifice) to achieve complete clearance of the stone. SBES is made possible by the use of advanced medical gadgets such as HOLMIUM LASERs and Ultra HD medical grade cameras and mini endoscopic systems.
The surgery is done in a modified lithotomy supine position rather than the traditional prone (patient facing down) position which would benefit those patients with concurrent cardiovascular ailments. This state of the art surgery is done under regional anaesthesia where the patient could visualise his stones being dusted on a monitor real time. Regional anaesthesia would also result in a seamless recovery as the patient is never unconscious. Simultaneous bilateral stone surgery would considerably reduce the radiation exposure (fluoroscopy) to the patient and the operating team.
SBES has also been done in the paediatric population where the benefits of reducing the number of surgeries is manifold. Bilateral stone disease patients are greatly benefited here as multiple procedures are avoided, reducing the cost and the accompanying hospital stay thereby reducing their economic burden. This advanced SBES procedure has created a paradigm shift in the treatment of bilateral renal stone disease patients and is the way forward.
Saveetha Medical College and Hospitals, SIMATS Chennai has one of the largest series in the world. Infact, as a mark of appreciation for showcasing the said achievement we were duly accorded with the Pondicherry video prize in TAPASUCON (Tamilnadu and Pondicherry) conference held in the year 2020.
The said technique is a panacea and provides succour to the ailing patients as it is performed in a single session which also tends to avoid re- hospitalisation. This is a first in our state and a rare procedure performed in our nation. The hospital has been performing this procedure since 2018 and completed 50 successfully (adults+paediatrics).