Doctors at Turin's Molinette
hospital said Thursday that they had used robotic surgery to
remove an ectopic kidney from a woman and transplant it to
another patient on dialysis in a world first.
Renal ectopia is a condition in which a kidney is not located
in its usual position, leading to chronic pain and infections.
The kidney is question was functional despite being in a
difficult position to reach, close the uterus.
Normally the kidney would have been discarded.
Both the donor and the patient who received the organ, a
51-year-old, are well, doctors said.
The hospital said the result was a "happy end to two
situations of suffering".
The surgery was performed by a team led by Professor Paolo
Gontero.
"Robotic surgery was fundamental in this particular situation
was fundamental," said Gontero. "The robot's help enabled us to
have the surgical accuracy needed for such a delicate
operation".
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