Using robotic surgery, doctors from the University of Gothenburg performed a planned cesarean section on a woman who had a previous uterus transplant. This has been reported area University.
In 2014, studies resulted in the world’s first birth after a womb transplant. Since then, around 50 children worldwide have been born to women with transplanted wombs. The new case is distinguished by the surgical method: This time, both the donor and the recipient were completely operated using a robotic laparoscopic system.
The transplant took place in October 2021 at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The donor’s uterus (which became a relative of the recipient) was gradually released using robotic surgery. The final step was the separation of the uterus from its blood vessels and its vaginal extraction into the laparoscopic bag.
The 35-year-old recipient was then inserted into the uterus through a small incision: first to the blood vessels, then to the vagina and other structures. All these steps were performed using robotic surgery.
Ten months later, an in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryo was placed in the transplanted uterus and pregnancy was confirmed a few weeks later. The expectant mother felt good throughout her pregnancy, which ended at 38 weeks with a planned cesarean section.
The child is a boy 49 cm tall and weighing 3100 grams. The child and other family members, including the donor, are healthy.
Robotic surgery is significantly less invasive than traditional open surgery. As a rule, the risks of infection and bleeding are lower with this approach, and those who have surgery recover faster. The method involves inserting cameras and robotic arms with surgical instruments attached to them through small entry holes in the lower abdomen. Surgeons then control the robotic arms with instruments reminiscent of console joysticks, where they can simultaneously view mobile 3D images and operate with high precision.