Saudi Arabia completes single-port robot-assisted living donor liver partial resection surgery.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Saudi Arabia announced on the 6th that the institution has successfully completed the world's first series of live donor liver partial resections using a single-port robotic system. According to a statement released by the institution, the surgery was performed through a single incision not exceeding 3.5 cm, eliminating the need for multiple incisions required in traditional robotic surgeries. This not only maintains high safety standards but also reduces postoperative pain and accelerates recovery. The statement said that this marks a significant advancement in the field of organ transplantation. The liver is an organ with strong self-regeneration capabilities. During liver transplantation, usually only a portion of the donor liver is transplanted into the recipient, and over time the deficient liver of the donor is able to regenerate and repair itself to its pre-surgery level. Living donors are healthy individuals who undergo surgery for the benefit of others. Implementing liver partial resections with a single-port robot is crucial for ensuring the safety and health of the donor. The statement mentioned that in the surgeries performed on 6 donors, there was only minimal bleeding and no complications, with low postoperative pain levels allowing patients to be discharged within 2 to 3 days. The statement also pointed out that this technology makes the process of providing a liver for pediatric recipients safer, as in such cases only the left lateral lobe of the donor's liver needs to be removed, which is well-suited for a single-port approach and greatly reduces the surgical burden on the donor.