The Islands Healthcare Complex – Macao Medical Centre of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) said in a statement yesterday that it has recently performed Macau’s first pancreatic surgery by using the da Vinci Surgical System.
According to Wikipedia, the da Vinci Surgical System is a robotic surgical platform that uses a minimally invasive surgical approach and is manufactured by US Intuitive Surgical. The system is used for surgical procedures including prostatectomies, cardiac valve repair and renal and gynaecologic interventions.
According to the statement, the surgical team was led by PUMCH Honorary President Dr Zhao Yupei. The team performed the surgery on a patient with an insulinoma* complicated by gallstones. The procedure involved a spleen-preserving pancreatic tumour resection** combined with a cholecystectomy, the statement said.
This surgery marks Macau’s first procedure performed using the fourth-generation da Vinci multi-arm robotic surgical system, signifying the official implementation of the Macau-Beijing medical collaboration mechanism, the statement pointed out.
Before the surgery, according to the statement, the patient was diagnosed with a rare insulinoma complicated by cholecystolithiasis in the inflammatory phase, after PUMCH and the PUMCH Macau Medical Centre conducted a remote consultation, they developed a treatment plan.
According to the statement, during the surgery, the team discovered that the tail of the patient’s pancreas was embedded in the splenic hilum*** and wrapped by a rich network of blood vessels, making spleen preservation extremely challenging but under Zhao’s lead, the team insisted on preserving the spleen.
In a narrow anatomical space, the team successfully removed the tumour while keeping the spleen intact, and concurrently performed a cholecystectomy (the surgical removal of the gallbladder), the statement said, adding that the entire surgery lasted four hours and the patient was able to get out of bed and move around the day after the operation and has been recovering well.
The statement noted that the surgical equipment and operating room layout for this procedure were fully aligned with the standards of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, while the Macau Health Bureau (SSM) and the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre provided active support by promptly facilitating the licensing process for the team.
The statement highlighted that the operation not only demonstrated the highest level of expertise in minimally invasive techniques and standardised perioperative (the period before, during and after a surgical operation) management, but also marked the successful implementation of the expert collaboration mechanism at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital Macau Medical Centre, establishing a significant milestone in the development of Macau’s healthcare services.
* An insulinoma is a rare, usually benign tumour of the pancreatic beta cells that secretes excess insulin. – Poe
** A resection is the surgical removal of part or all of an organ, tissue, or structure. – Poe
*** The splenic hilum is the area on the medial (concave) border of the spleen where the splenic artery, splenic vein, lymphatic vessels and nerves enter and exit the organ. – Poe
The undated handout photo provided by the PUMCH Macao Medical Centre in Cotai yesterday shows Dr Zhao Yupei operating the centre’s da Vinci Surgical System console during its first pancreatic surgery recently.
