Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) has performed its first robotic-assisted choledochal cyst excision on a 12-year-old patient recently.

A Jipmer release on May 13 said, it was performed by a team of doctors consisting of anaesthesiologists headed by Dr. Sandeep Mishra and Dr. Naveen and a surgical team including pediatric surgeon Dr. Bibekanand Jindal and surgical gastroenterologist Dr. R. Kalayarasan.

The patient having recurrent pain abdomen because of choledochal cyst. Choledochal cyst is cystic dilatation of the bile duct, which drains bile from liver to intestine. Conventionally, surgery for this condition is performed by an open approach, which needs a longer hospital stay, causes more pain, and leaves a large scar. In comparison, robotic surgery needs shorter hospital stay, is less painful and is cosmetically better.

Thus the child was able to walk happily and take full feeds on the fifth day after this major surgery. This is the first pediatric robotic assisted choledochal cyst surgery done at Jipmer and is probably the first such procedure in Southern India. Dr Mishra said, Jipmer has performed more than 350 cases of robotic assisted surgery overall and around 45 cases of robotic assisted surgeries in children.

He said that this kind of advanced minimal surgery is possible only because of team work involving the anesthesia team, nursing staff, the multi-disciplinary robotic surgical team, and constant support and motivation from Head of department of Pediatric Surgery, the Medical Superintendent Dr. Ashok Badhe and the Institute’s Director.

Dr. L.N. Dorairajan who is the Officer-in-Charge of Multi-disciplinary Robotic Assisted Minimal Access Surgery Unit (MRAMAS Unit) pointed out that Jipmer is the only centre in South India where robotic surgery facilities are provided in a Government hospital.
The institution has been providing this high value service to its patients at a very subsidized cost, which is much lower than that in corporate hospitals, the release said.