A team of doctors and a surgery robot named Da Vinci removed the world's largest ureteric stone by surgery on March 23 in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi. The stone measured 22 centimetres and weighed 60 grams in total.

In an exclusive interview given to ANI, Dr Sachin Kathuria, consultant, Urology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said: "We were surprised to see such a long stone which was covering almost the entire length of the urinary pipe. Using the robot in surgery made it possible for us to remove the stone in one go, otherwise, the patient would have to undergo multiple surgeries." It is the longest ureteric stone reported to date. The longest ureteric stone removed prior to this was 21.5 centimetres long, according to doctor Kathuria.

The patient, a resident of Saharanpur, was admitted in the hospital on March 22 and the operation took place on March 23. The surgery for removing the stone took four hours to complete. Interestingly, the patient was completely pain-free and unaware of the massive stone that lay inside her body.

Talking further, doctor Kathuria said: "The use of surgical robot made the stone removal possible with a minimum scar and quick recovery for the patient.” Kidney stones are a very common occurrence in this part of the country. Large stone growth is also not uncommon and they need a multitude of treatment to remove them completely. The team of doctors namely Dr Sachin Kathuria, Dr Ajay Sharma and Dr Vikram Batra along with the robot.