In a remarkable medical achievement, physicians from Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi, have removed an unusually large adrenal tumor from a 36-year-old woman using a robot-assisted minimally invasive procedure. The huge tumor, measuring 18.2 x 13.5 cm, is said to be the largest of such tumors to be excised through robotic surgery in the world to date.
Interestingly, the treatment was done completely free of cost at the government hospital—a procedure that would otherwise cost ₹1.8 lakh to ₹5 lakh in private facilities.
The patient had been suffering from chronic belly aches for months before a series of scans at Safdarjung Hospital finally identified the cause: a large adrenal tumor.
The tumor, positioned close to vital organs like the liver, kidneys, and inferior vena cava, not only made her uncomfortable but was severely compressing these delicate organs.
The intricate three-hour surgery was performed by Dr. Pawan Vasudeva, professor and chairperson of the Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation. In a conversation with Hindustan Times, he said:
The tumour had grown to the size of a melon, situated between the liver, kidney, and inferior vena cava, exerting pressure on these critical structures. Normally, for such a large tumour, open surgery is performed, which can cause significant blood loss and a recovery time of three weeks. In this robotic adrenalectomy, recovery was reduced to about a week.Dr. Pawan Vasudeva, Professor of the Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation
Robotic technology enabled the team to conduct the adrenalectomy with much smaller incisions, reducing trauma and greatly reducing the recovery time.
Robotic adrenalectomy is increasingly becoming the standard for removing adrenal tumors because of its minimally invasive nature. Studies show it significantly reduces blood loss and shortens recovery time compared to traditional open surgery. Today, 90–95% of adrenal tumor surgeries are performed laparoscopically or with robotic assistance, up from around 50% a decade ago.
Conventional open surgery entails a cut of approximately 20 centimeters and a minimum three-week hospital stay. But the robotic procedure involved small, precise incisions, approximately 8 centimeters in length.
Consequently, the patient experienced minimal postoperative pain and was back to normal activities within a week.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)