First robot-assisted minimally invasive kidney transplantation in Germany

The triumphal procession of robot-assisted operations has reached a new peak: On 19 and 20 June 2016, the first two robot-assisted kidney transplants were performed in Germany at the University Hospital of the Saarland (UKS). The interventions were carried out with the support of Dr. med. Alberto Breda from Barcelona, ​​who established this surgical technique at his clinic in the summer of 2015. This makes Germany the fourth European country to use this state-of-the-art surgical technique to perform kidney transplants over the past two years. The development is very young, the total number of such operations in Europe is still under 30 interventions.

"Thanks to the continuous development of robotic surgery, complex operations can increasingly be carried out minimally invasively," says Prof. Dr. med. Michael Stöckle, Director of the Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology in Homburg / Saar. The establishment of the daVinci surgical robot began around a decade ago with the introduction of robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery. Since then, the range of robot-assisted surgeries has also been steadily expanded in Homburg: "Bladder cancer surgery can now be carried out minimally invasively, including the creation of replacement bladders," adds Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Siemer, deputy clinic director. In addition, reconstructive surgery of renal pelvic drainage and renal tumor surgery have been almost completely transitioned to the minimally invasive route of entry. Since 2010, donor kidney donations for live donor transplantation have also been performed robot assisted.

Image: © satyrenko - fotolia

In addition to minimizing the access trauma, the surgical technique in kidney transplantation has further advantages, the relevance of which can only be worked out by the long-term observation of the affected patients: "Clearly improved visibility compared to open surgery allows for a more subtle vascular suture when connecting the blood vessels of the transplant Blood vessels of the recipient. On the other hand, so-called lymphoceles, ie accumulations of lymph fluid around the transplant, so far one of the most frequent complications of kidney transplantation, should become significantly rarer, "says Prof. Stöckle. Since the minimally invasive transplantation is performed from the free abdominal cavity, lymphatic fluid can drain into the abdominal cavity and be resorbed there. (Pm)