26-year-old woman with urethral tumour gets second lease of life after robot-aided

— Urethral Leiomyoma tumour successfully removed with world’s most advanced 4th Generation Robot – Da Vinci Xi at Fortis Mohali

Yamunanagar, June 28 , 2023 : ( AVAJ APKI NEWS )

A 26-year-old woman, suffering from a rare disease known as Urethral Leiomyoma, got a second lease of life after she was treated at Fortis Hospital Mohali with the world’s most advanced 4th Generation Robot – Da Vinci Xi. Urethral Leiomyoma – an extremely rare condition is when a fibroid arises from the smooth muscle of the urethra in women(urine pipe connecting the urinary bladder to the posterior).

“The tumour was situated deep in the pelvis and required robot-assisted surgery. The Patient was undergoing a challenging time due to obstruction in her urine flow, recurrent urinary tract infections, increased frequency and nocturia (increased frequency to urinate at night). She was taking treatment from a local hospital but after her condition failed to improve, she approached Fortis hospital Mohali”, said Dr Rohit Dadhwal, Consultant, Department of Urology, Andrology and Robotic Surgery, Fortis Hospital Mohali.

“Medical investigations, including an MRI, revealed that the Patient had a mass originating from her urethra and it was exerting pressure on her urinary bladder. As this mass was localized, the most viable option was to remove it surgically. However, it posed a serious challenge as the mechanism to control the urine is present at this site in women. And, any damage to the mechanism could have resulted in severe urinary incontinence (leakage of urine)”, the doctor said.

Following careful assessment, the team of doctors led by Dr Dadhwal performed Robot-assisted excision of urethral tumor with bladder neck repair. The Patient had a smooth post-operative recovery and was discharged two days after the surgery. She was able to walk on the next day of the surgery and is leading a normal life today.

Dr Dadhwal, said, “Leiomyoma or fibroids commonly occur in the female genital organs like uterus and vagina. Having such a tumour in the urinary tract is extremely rare and less than 40 cases of urethral leiomyoma have been described in literature. Although open and laparoscopic techniques have been used in the past for its excision, only a handful of centres in the world have been able to remove it via Robot-aided Surgery. It is the latest form of minimally-invasive surgery and provides a 3D view of the operative field via a special camera inserted into the body of the patient. Parts of the body which are difficult to reach with the human hand can be accessed through robot-assisted arms that can rotate 360 degrees.“