Baby boy makes history after robot womb op
THE world’s first womb transplant carried out using robotic surgery has resulted in a successful birth.
A boy was delivered by caesarean section in Sweden on Monday and weighed just over six pounds.
The surgical technique could give hope to around 6,000 women in the UK who are born without a womb, and many others who lose them to disease.
It uses robot-assisted keyhole surgery and is a major step forward because it is less invasive than traditional open surgery.
Dr Pernilla Dahm- Kahler, a gynaecologist at the Sahlgrenska hospital at the University of Gothenburg said: ‘It’s a fantastic feeling to deliver such a special, longed-for child.’
The robot-assisted keyhole surgery was used on the donor – the mother of the recipient.
Surgical instruments were guided through 1cm incisions in the abdomen by two surgeons, one on each side of the patient. Each sits at a workstation with a joystick tool and magnified 3D screen image that allows immense precision for operating in the lower abdomen. Near the end of the procedure, the uterus is removed through a further incision and put in the recipient using open surgery. The new technique makes a big difference for the donors, who recover faster.
The transplant was carried out in October 2017. Ten months later an IVF embryo was inserted in the transplanted uterus. The pregnancy ended with a planned C-section at 36 weeks. The Swedish surgeons hope robot surgery can next be used on a womb’s recipient.