A 14-year-old girl with a liver tumor is the first child in Hungary to be operated on with the da Vinci Surgical System. The intervention was performed at Semmelweis University’s Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology (STéG). During the procedure, the right lobe of the liver was removed due to a malignant lesion. The operation was preceded by chemotherapy. Da Vinci robotic technology allows for more precise surgery even in tight spaces where this is not possible when using other techniques, or only with great difficulty, says Dr. Oszkár Hahn, Deputy Director of STéG, the surgeon who performed the operation.
In children, there is a smaller surgical area compared to adults, yet it is possible to operate safely with robotic assistance even in places that are not always easily accessible with conventional techniques. – Dr. Oszkár Hahn
The da Vinci Surgical System consists of three main parts: It is the four-armed robot that operates on the patient, and the doctor does not stand next to the patient but sits at the surgical console, interacting with the robot. The surgeon controls the robot using pedals and a system that transmits the movements of the surgeon’s hands, while the surgical area is displayed on a special monitor as a three-dimensional image that is magnified ten times. This provides the precision and the new approach that have revolutionized certain areas of surgery.
The child, the first to undergo robot-assisted surgery, was discharged home on the 8th day after the operation with a chance of full recovery thanks to the complex treatment. The liver surgery was performed by Dr. Oszkár Hahn, STéG’s liver surgery profile leader, assisted by Dr. Attila Szijártó, Director of STéG; surgeons Dr. Damján Pekli and Dr. Zoltán Deák-Ilkó; a trained anesthesiologist; and qualified operating room assistants.
Meanwhile, the second pediatric liver surgery with a da Vinci robot was performed this week at the Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology.
After analyzing the data from the two successful procedures, the department plans to launch a robot-assisted pediatric liver surgery program.
The da Vinci Surgical System at Semmelweis University
Semmelweis University was the first in Hungary to launch a complex robotic surgery program, which was extended to education, research, and healthcare. The first robot-assisted surgery was performed at the Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology on May 24, 2022, followed by two more operations the next day. The robotic technology is currently used mainly in abdominal surgery, as well as in gynecological and urological procedures. In the 2023/24 fiscal year, 450 robot-assisted surgeries were performed at the university. Since the launch of the robot-assisted liver surgery program, more than 100 such liver operations have been performed, so far on adults.
Gallery
Éva Haiman
Translation: Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Bálint Barta – Semmelweis University
