Irkutsk State Regional Children's Clinical Hospital

History

2025: Carrying out the first operation in Russia to remove an ovarian tumor by a robot surgeon

In the Irkutsk Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, for the first time in Russia, a robot-assisted operation was performed to remove an ovarian tumor in a minor patient. Surgeons applied an innovative combination of two advanced techniques - robotics and fluorescent navigation. The procedure made it possible to fully preserve the organ functions and reproductive potential of the girl. This was announced by the chief physician of the medical institution Yury Kozlov on July 16, 2025.

According to "Ирсити.ру," the patient was admitted to a hospital from another region with a diagnosis of a tumor of the right ovary. The neoplasm was located inside the tissue of the organ, which created additional difficulties for surgery. The medical team was tasked with removing the pathological formation as accurately as possible, while maintaining healthy tissue and organ functionality.

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Фото: Freepik

The chief doctor Yury Kozlov stressed that classical methods of surgery do not always allow clearly visualizing the border between pathological and healthy tissue. This task becomes especially difficult with recurrent or hard-to-reach tumors that require special accuracy of manipulation.

A revolutionary combination of technologies has provided unprecedented precision in a hard-to-reach anatomical area. The robot-assisted system allowed surgeons to perform microscopic movements with maximum accuracy, eliminating the possibility of human tremor and other factors affecting the quality of surgery.

Fluorescent navigation was implemented through the administration of indocyanine green intravenously. The drug selectively accumulated in healthy ovarian tissues, which made it possible to clearly indicate the boundaries of the tumor. Under the influence of a spectrum of light close to the infrared range, healthy tissues began to glow in emerald color.^[1]

2024: Carrying out the first operation in Russia to remove stones from the kidneys with the help of a robot surgeon

In Russia, for the first time, a robot-assisted operation was carried out to remove a stone from a child's ureter using intraoperative ultrasound. The procedure in July 2024 was successfully carried out by specialists from the Irkutsk State Regional Children's Clinical Hospital.

The patient developed urolithiasis in extreme form against the background of cerebral palsy. A large stone formed in the upper third of the left ureter, causing obstruction of urine outflow from the left kidney, pelvis dilation, acute pain and infection. Doctors decided to carry out a ureterolitotomy - removing the stone through surgery.

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Фото: Irkobl

As the operating surgeon, the head physician of the hospital, Yury Kozlov, noted, this is a very difficult procedure, since the ureter in children is small. It was possible to delicately remove the stone thanks to the combination of robot-assisted surgery and intraoperative ultrasonic navigation. These two technologies were first used in Russia in a child.

Increased maneuverability of robotic instruments and 3D imaging provided a clear picture of the target anatomy. An ultrasonic micro-sensor was placed above the ureter to detect the stone. Robotic scissors cut the front wall of the ureter exactly above the stone and removed it with an atraumatic clamp. After the defect was sutured in the transverse direction to prevent narrowing.

The operation took place without complications, the patient is under the supervision of doctors. The use of robotic surgeons opens up new possibilities in the treatment of urolithiasis in children and allows complex procedures at a high level with minimal trauma. It is expected that in the future such operations will become more widely available in leading medical centers in Russia.^[2]

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