Doctors at Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals, Kolkata, saved the life of a 60-year-old patient who was suffering from a rare, complicated kidney cancer using robotic-assisted surgery. The surgery was led by Dr Tarun Jindal, Senior Consultant, Uro Oncology, with the help of the advanced robotic-assisted surgery system, da Vinci. This is the first time a successful surgery has been performed in India to remove cancer from a crossed-fused ectopic kidney.
Otherwise asymptomatic, the patient had observed a lump on his abdomen before deciding to get medical help. A CT scan showed that he had a rare condition called Crossed Fused Ectopia – where his left and right kidneys were both on the right side, with the right kidney on top and the abnormal left kidney below it. An 11 cm tumour was also observed arising from the upper kidney.
Crossed fused ectopia occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 people, making it relatively uncommon, though not extremely rare. However, the development of a tumour in such cases is considered exceptionally rare. “The main challenge was to save one kidney and its ureter while dealing with the crisscrossing of both ureters and blood vessels.
It was crucial to accurately identify the blood supply to the abnormal kidney, pinpoint the correct ureter to preserve, and remove the one involved with the tumour, ensuring precision throughout the procedure. If the blood supply to the abnormal kidney is not correctly identified, it could lead to damage or loss of the he.