A robotic device has been used in the Kingdom for the first time to remove a kidney and urethra in an operation on a 13-year-old Saudi girl. Consultant at the King Faisal Specialty Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh Dr Khalid Al-Othman reported that the girl, who had been suffering from a rare congenital birth defect, made a full recovery after the three-and-half-hour operation and left the hospital two days later.

Meanwhile, the hospital is organizing an international conference on robotic and laparoscopic surgery from September 20-22, during which surgeons from Saudi Arabia and abroad will conduct about 20 surgeries to demonstrate the technology. The demonstrations will be linked via satellite to France, Italy, Canada, and the United States as well as to hospitals throughout the Kingdom.

Return