An eight-month-old baby girl has successfully undergone an advanced robotic surgery with the aid of Da Vinci surgical robot to correct her congenital kidney condition. The surgical procedure, which was conducted in a hospital in Pune, utilised the advanced surgical robot to rectify the defect in the child in a minimally invasive manner. The infant girl was discharged two days after the successful completion of the surgery.
The surgical procedure involved correcting a duplex ectopic ureter, which was causing severe hydronephrosis (swelling of the kidney due to a blockage of urine flow) for the patient. The procedure ensures proper urinary excretion and helps prevent any sort of infections.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Geeta Kekre, a consultant paediatric surgeon in a hospital in Pune, with the aid of Da Vinci surgical robot. The Da Vinci surgical robotic system is a cutting-edge technology which allows medical professionals to conduct surgeries in a minimally invasive manner with extreme precision. The high-resolution 3D vision and superior control provided by the robotic system assisted the doctor to make precise incision and correction of the congenital kidney condition. Using the high-resolution 3D vision system, the surgeons are able to view the anatomical structures in natural colours and make minute incision, allowing the patient to recover a lot faster as there is very less blood loss. [1]
The girl was born with a rare condition where two kidney units was formed on each side rather than one. The condition was diagnosed when post-birth tests revealed severe swelling in the upper part of her right kidney. This anatomical defect led to recurrent urinary tract infections. The surgical team performed a uretero-ureterostomy, connecting the abnormal upper moiety ureter to the normal lower moiety ureter to ensure proper drainage and avoid infections. The major factors that contributed to the success of the operation was the early detection and the precision of the robotic system.
What is Hydronephrosis?
Hydronephrosis is a condition of the urinary tract where one or both kidneys swell. This happens because pee (urine) doesn’t fully empty from your body. Symptoms may include sudden or intense pain in your back or side, vomiting, painful urination, blood in your pee, or weakness and fever due to a urinary tract infection. [2] There are several approaches for treating the condition, depending on the underlying cause.
References
Max Healthcare. 2025. “The Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery.” Max Healthcare. 2025. https://www.maxhealthcare.in/procedures/the-da-vinci-xi-robotic-surgery. (Accessed on February 18, 2025).
Cleveland Clinic. 2019. “Hydronephrosis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention.” Cleveland Clinic. 2019. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15417-hydronephrosis. (Accessed on February 18, 2025).
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Jithin Paul/MSM)