Times of India
10, March 2010
Ahmedabad, India

Laparoscopic Method Used In India For The First Time
A pioneering transplantation of a kidney through minimally invasive laparoscopy method was successfully completed by surgeons at the Institute of Kidney Disease and Research Centre (IKDRC) here.

Experts said this is the first time that this procedure has been done in the country. “This surgery is challenging but is good for the patient as it leads to less pain and short hospital stay. The operation is over in an hour and our surgeons have done three cases. Till date, only one case has been reported from Spain,” said Dr HL Trivedi, director of IKDRC.

Doctors at the institute performed the procedure on three patients simultaneously. In this method, instead of making a huge cut through the stomach, the surgeons made just three little holes and a small incision on the patient’s body.

Sanjay Sharma, 32, from Rajasthan had undergone his first kidney transplant through the open surgery. After it failed, he underwent a second transplant surgery. This time it was done laparoscopically and Sanjay’s body reflected the stark difference between the huge cut made earlier and the negligible incisions made for the surgery the second time. “I have been able recover from the surgery pretty early as compared to my first transplant. The pain is also less,” Sanjay said.

Rajesh Dabdi, 48, too underwent his second kidney transplant through the this technique. Chief transplant surgeon Dr Pranjal Modi said this is the first time kidney transplant has been successfully attempted through laparoscopic surgery. Retrieval of kidney from a donor through laparoscopes is done in many centres though.

Modi said of the three holes made in the abdomen, one is used to insert the camera while the other two are for inserting surgical instruments.

10 transplants on Kidney Day
The IKDRC will perform 10 kidney transplants on Thursday to mark the World Kidney Day. Of these, five transplants would be done laparoscopically, said Dr Trivedi.