In a first by the doctors in the northern region, a robotic procedure was used to remove a tumour from the large intestine of a 62-year-old city-based businessman.

A team of doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital performed the complex robotic surgery to remove the cancer from the lower rectum (lowest portion of the large intestine) using the ‘da Vinci’ robot.

“The unique position of the tumour led us to think about using the robot for this procedure. Our opinion was that it gives us better vision and a lot of dexterity, the robot would allow us to perform the surgery where laparoscopic instruments cannot reach,” said Dr KR Vasu, Consultant, Surgical Gastroenterology and liver Transplant (SGlT). Traditionally the operation would have been performed through a large incision to the body or, more recently, using the laparoscopic or keyhole approach.

But the tumour in this case was detected very low in the rectum, due to which an open surgery or laparoscopic approach would have given the patient a permanent colostomy bag to carry for life outside the body. According to Dr Saumitra Rawat, Chairman and Head, SGlT, the use of a robot in the food passage has till now shown to be of advantage only for the oesophagus (food pipe). “It is for the first time in northern India that it has been used in the lower part of large intestine, giving lots of advantage to the patient,” he said.

The ‘da Vinci’ system, in the market since 2000, is a four-armed robot that surgeons use with a computer system. Benefits of the machine for patients include reduced bleeding, lesser pain and they are often sent home sooner than in conventional laparoscopic surgery. The robot also reduces post surgical complications in patients, Rawat said.