Robotic surgery in Chennai hospital culls tumor, saves patient's kidneys

CHENNAI: A 47-year-old man from Kolkata successfully underwent two-staged Robotic-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy (RAPN) surgery to remove the tumors in both kidneys at Rela Hospital. The team of experts spearheaded by Dr Vasantharaja Ramasamy performed the surgery for four hours and removed the cancers successfully. 

Raja Sur, a sweet stall owner from Kolkata, who is a father of two kids, presented with complaints of blood in his urine for two months. On evaluation at a hospital in his hometown, it was found that he had tumors in both the kidneys — a 5 cm tumor on the right side and most of his left kidney was also affected by the tumor. 

He was referred to Rela Institute Cancer Centre, Chennai, for further evaluation and treatment. On his arrival at Rela Hospital, Dr Vasantharaja, consultant uro-oncologist evaluated the patient and decided to perform a two-staged robotic surgery for the removal of the cancers. On March 22, he underwent this minimally invasive procedure in which several small incisions were made in his abdominal region to give access to robotically controlled surgical instruments to remove only the tumor part of the right kidney and saving as much of the normal kidney with margins free of cancer.

He was discharged on second post-operative day. The second surgery was planned after two weeks allowing his right kidney to recover. On April 5, left robotic radical nephrectomy (removal of the whole kidney) was done. Post-surgery, the patient neither required dialysis nor an ICU stay. The patient was discharged a day after the procedure.

“Robotic-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy is an advanced procedure to remove a complex tumor by saving much of the organ. In this case, RAPN was imminent as the other kidney was completely affected by cancer and this surgery was different from the Radical Nephrectomy in which the entire kidney is generally removed,” said Dr Vasantharaja.

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