In Olsztyn city hospital, an operation to remove the bladder diverticulum was performed on Wednesday, using an innovative method that involves inserting surgical instruments into the patient’s body through only one incision. The hospital is planning further such operations.
The innovative operation was carried out by prof. Marek Roslan, who is a precursor of this type of treatment in the country. He was assisted by the coordinator of the clinical urology department of the Olsztyn city hospital, Dr. Zbigniew Purpurowicz.
The procedure consisted in removing a bladder diverticulum from a 61-year-old patient (he came from Morąg). Prof. This diverticulum roslan can be compared to a balloon in the bladder, which prevented the patient from fully emptying the bladder. And the residual urine from the bladder can cause a number of diseases, including the development of cancer – said Prof. Roslan.
Usually, this type of disease is operated by urologists by making a traditional incision or by the laparoscopic method, in which several incisions are used, and through them the next tools needed to operate the patient are inserted. The novelty of the operation carried out in Olsztyn was that the patient had only one, about 1,5 cm incision, through which all the necessary tools were inserted.
From the point of view of a doctor, it is a very difficult procedure, requiring great concentration, patience and great skills. That is why such operations are not common – said Dr. Purpurowicz. Prof. As an added complication, Roslan added, the instruments used in this type of operation are not yet perfect.
Urologists emphasized that although the procedure is difficult and demanding for doctors, it is much better from the patient’s point of view.
Each postoperative wound, regardless of its size, is a challenge for the patient and involves suffering. Therefore, the fewer wounds the better. In general, today patients expect doctors to operate almost through a keyhole, because they want to return to full fitness and activity as soon as possible. This method of urological operations is a response to these expectations of patients – admitted prof. Roslan.
The doctor assured that the innovative method of surgery does not involve a greater risk of postoperative complications for the patient. On the contrary, the risk is lower than, for example, in laparoscopic surgeries in which several cuts are made – he emphasized.
The device through which all the surgical instruments were introduced into the patient’s body cost PLN 1,3 thousand. zloty. The director of the city hospital, Joanna Szymankiewicz-Czużdaniuk, informed that the hospital had purchased a total of five devices of this type, and the next procedures with their use are scheduled for next week (a woman suffering from vesico-vaginal fistula is to be operated on at that time).
We want to follow this innovative path, because this is the future of medicine. We will want to carry out dozens of such operations every year – said the director of the hospital.
Prof. Roslan admitted that worldwide operations in which instruments are inserted into the patient’s body through one incision are performed in Cleveland and California in the USA, Caracas in Venezuela and in Innsbruck, Austria. In Poland, prof. Roslan operated in this way in Gdańsk, where he worked before moving to the center in Olsztyn.