The three points were then connected to make about a one inch (2.5 centimeter) hole—about the size of a dime. The kidney to be removed is placed inside a plastic sack so that it can be compressed and then extracted through the distended incision. A normal sized kidney is about the size of a small adult human fist.

The surgery is grouped under laparoscopic surgery (minimally invasive surgery), and more specifically under transumbilical (through the umbilical cord) surgery. Besides the kidney, Dr. Cadeddu has also removed the appendix, the gall bladder, the spleen and the uterus through the navel.

The surgery was possible due to a new set of instruments, called RealHand™ instruments, that are easily manipulated around the organs of the human body. The high-tech, high dexterity (HD) instruments for minimally invasive surgical procedures are manufactured by Novare Surgical Systems, Cupertino, California.

Normally, with traditional kidney surgery, about a nine-inch (23-centimeter) incision is made from the middle of the abdomen to the back. The time to recover within the hospital and at home is long. However, the new surgery performed by Dr. Cadeddu is much less invasive than the older technique, along with the fact that the scar from the incision hole is barely noticeable within the belly button. Hospital stays and recovery time at home are much shorter than with traditional surgery.

Dr. Cadeddu is an associate professor of urology and radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, and is in charge of UT’s Clinical Center for Minimally Invasive Treatment of Urologic Cancer.

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