By writer to newsroom.clevelandclinic.org
Cleveland Clinic is the primary hospital on this planet to efficiently carry out a robotic single-port kidney transplant, which permits all surgical devices and the donor kidney to be positioned by means of one small stomach incision.
The Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute surgical crew included Jihad Kaouk, M.D., director of the Middle for Robotic and Picture Guided Surgical procedure; Alvin Wee, M.D., surgical director of Renal Transplantation; Mohamed Eltemamy, M.D.; David Goldfarb, M.D.; and Eric Miller, M.D. These surgeons mixed their collective experience in minimally invasive, robotic, and kidney transplant surgical procedure to efficiently full the operation in October.
Dr. Kaouk and his crew have been the primary within the nation to efficiently carry out robotic single-port prostatectomy and kidney most cancers surgical procedure in September 2018. This newest surgical approach offers proof that the single-port strategy is possible not just for sufferers with most cancers, but additionally for sufferers who’re in want of a kidney transplant.
“The purpose was not solely to make a smaller incision, but additionally to attenuate the world wherein the operation was carried out by limiting the variety of cuts contained in the affected person,” stated Dr. Kaouk. “This resulted in minimal post-operative ache and no opioids wanted after surgical procedure.”

Click on picture to view or obtain an animation of the surgical procedure.
The robotic single-port platform might present another possibility for the suitable affected person, together with sufferers with weight problems or difficult anatomy. In the course of the operation, the surgical crew created a small four-centimeter incision on the affected person’s stomach. The surgeon then used the single-port robotic to arrange the positioning for the donor kidney, join the blood vessels, and lastly reconstruct the urinary drainage, earlier than suturing the incision.
“The robotic single-port strategy may be very promising,” stated Dr. Wee. “We’re wanting ahead to persevering with to refine this method and our crew is optimistic that this minimally invasive surgical procedure can add to our vary of choices for kidney transplantation.”
Emilio Poggio, M.D., medical director of the Kidney Transplant Program, stated, “Kidney transplantation continues to be the very best therapy possibility for sufferers with end-stage kidney illness and it’s a very dynamic area the place innovation brings new alternatives for personalised care. As such, this primary robotic single-port kidney transplant provides innovative observe to the care of those sufferers.”
Georges Haber, M.D., chair of urology within the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, stated, “Kidney transplantation is a life-changing occasion for sufferers, a lot of whose high quality of life has been negatively impacted by having to obtain dialysis 3 times every week whereas ready for a donor. This system permits sufferers to regain their high quality of life extra quickly. Utilizing the newest know-how to assist our sufferers reside a full life is the true spirit of innovation which we foster inside the division of urology right here at Cleveland Clinic.”
Dr. Kaouk is a paid speaker for Intuitive Surgical, Inc.