Live robotic surgery

As part of the 23rd edition of the annual congress of the EAU Robotic Urology Section (ERUS), the section dedicated to robotic surgery of the European Association of Urology (EAU), the Urology Clinic of the Azienda Ospedale-Università di Padova performed a live robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for neoplasia, removing a tumour nodule from the kidney while preserving the rest of the organ. 

Given the complexity of the case, a customised three-dimensional model in silicone was created directly from the patient’s CT images, on which a simulation with the robot was carried out before the operation in order to define the therapeutic strategy and the surgical approach.

It is the first time that, at a congress, a live operation has been broadcast simultaneously with the video of the simulation carried out on the model of the same patient: in this way, the audience was able to compare, step by step, what had been planned on the model with what was carried out in the operating theatre.

The operation was performed by a team from the Urology Clinic of Padua led by Fabrizio Dal Moro.

The silicone model was printed thanks to an international collaboration with a centre in Rio de Janeiro. The entire process takes place in full compliance with the regulations in force on the protection of personal data. The images used are fully anonymised and do not contain any element that would allow patients to be identified, ensuring the utmost protection of privacy.

The operation forms part of a scientific collaboration project between the University of Padua – Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences (DiSCOG), the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Bordeaux and Université de Bordeaux for the development of three-dimensional biomimetic models for robotic urological surgery. One of the most innovative aspects of the project is the process used to create the models: each biomimetic kidney is developed from CT (computed tomography) images of real patients, appropriately processed to faithfully reconstruct the anatomy of the kidney and the tumour lesion.

The collaboration between the DiSCOG of the University of Padua, the CHU de Bordeaux and Université de Bordeaux aims to develop increasingly effective tools for surgical simulation, helping to improve the training of specialists and, in the longer term, the safety and quality of the care offered to patients.