At St Nicholas Children’s Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv, surgeons successfully removed a pancreatic cyst from a 14-year-old girl from Zakarpattia using the Da Vinci robotic system. The operation lasted up to three hours and made it possible to preserve the organ and minimise trauma to the surrounding tissues.
The growth in 14-year-old Viorika was discovered by chance during a routine check-up at her place of residence. Doctors saw a mass in the area of the left kidney and the pancreas and referred the patient to specialists in Lviv. In Lviv, after further examinations, they confirmed the presence of a pancreatic cyst. Although it was benign, the doctors insisted on its removal.
The girl’s mother, taking into account her daughter’s slight build and the risks for the pancreas, was categorically opposed to a classic “open” operation with a large incision. The family looked for a method that would reduce tissue trauma and the likelihood of developing diabetes, and therefore opted for robotic surgery at the Lviv hospital, where they already have experience of similar operations in children.
The head of the Surgery Centre at St Nicholas Hospital, Andriy Dvorakevych, notes that the use of robotics allows surgeons to work with maximum precision and minimal damage to healthy structures. According to him, during this operation the tumour was completely removed without significant trauma to the pancreas.
Viorika’s mother says that after the procedure several doctors came in to see her and told her that the child was in a good condition and that the organ had been preserved. She stresses that for her the most important thing was precisely saving the pancreas so that her daughter could continue to live without diabetes.
The girl has now already returned home. The family is awaiting the final results of the histological examination to be completely sure that the problem with the growth has been fully resolved.
The First Medical Association of Lviv reports that it provides a full range of modern medical care — from diagnosis and treatment to complex surgical interventions, rehabilitation and prosthetics. The association includes St Panteleimon’s Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital, St Nicholas’s Hospital, St Anne’s Hospital, the UNBROKEN rehabilitation centre and treatment and diagnostic centres.