Doctors at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of J. A. Reiman University Hospital in Prešov have performed a complex robotic procedure on a patient weighing more than 150 kg who was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Using a Da Vinci X robotic system, the team completed the operation without complications, and the patient was discharged 48 hours later.
The patient was admitted to hospital with severe vaginal bleeding and required a blood transfusion. Subsequent examinations confirmed uterine cancer. Her weight presented additional challenges for both diagnosis and treatment.
A standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination could not be performed because of the patient’s weight and the dimensions of the MRI scanner. The medical team, led by primary physician MUDr. Jozef Dzurilla, MPH, and deputy primary physician MUDr. Martin Šima, therefore used alternative diagnostic procedures.
After consultation with anaesthesiologists, the team decided to perform the surgery using the Da Vinci robotic system.
In a patient with uterine cancer, standard laparoscopy was not possible because the instruments were not long enough for a patient with this degree of obesity. The alternative would have been an open abdominal operation, which would have carried a high risk of wound infection, wound separation and other complications.
MUDr. Jozef Dzurilla, MPH.
The procedure took around 2.5 hours
During the approximately 2.5-hour operation, surgeons removed the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. They also used a special contrast agent and detection camera to identify and remove the sentinel lymph nodes.
According to deputy primary physician MUDr. Martin Šima, the procedure was technically demanding because of the amount of visceral fat surrounding the abdominal organs.
“The procedure is performed at the lowest possible pressure and in a limited space, which requires considerable experience. The Da Vinci system is particularly useful in cases such as this,” he said.
The robotic approach allowed the surgeons to perform the procedure minimally invasively through five incisions measuring approximately 8 millimetres each.
“In a patient with severe obesity, an open operation can carry a higher risk of wound complications, infection and problems with healing. The robotic approach allowed the surgeons to avoid a large abdominal incision and supported a faster recovery,” said MUDr. Jozef Dzurilla, MPH.
Patient discharged after 48 hours
The patient was discharged 48 hours after the operation without reported complications.
“Based on the results of the final histological examination, the surgical treatment was successful and the patient does not require any further oncological treatment,” said MUDr. Martin Šima.
The hospital has been using the Da Vinci robotic system since the end of November 2025. During its first six months of operation, doctors performed more than 100 procedures using the system. The technology is currently being used by surgical teams from the departments of urology, surgery and gynaecology, with the range of procedures gradually expanding.
