New Delhi, June 24: In a major breakthrough, the
premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has
for the first time performed the path-breaking
robotic-assisted surgery for myasthenia gravis, a life-
threatening muscular disease.
The surgery requires an incision of only one centimetre,
a hospital stay of two to three days and minimal blood loss.
Professor N P Gupta of the department of urology said seven
cases have been operated upon since June 21.
Myasthenia gravis is an auto immune disorder that
causes muscle weakness.
"What we tried is robotic thymectomy for myasthenia
gravis. We have been performing video-assisted thoracoscopic
thymectomy for the past eight years. But this is the first
time we used a robot," Gupta said.
The disease is a result of a defect in transmission of
nerve impulses to muscles. As a result, muscle stops
contracting. The thymus gland located in front of the heart
plays an important role in the development of the immune
system.
In some cases of myasthenia gravis, the gland does not
function or has cancer. "So options left are medication or
or surgery," said professor Arvind Kumar of the AIIMS
department of surgery who performed the operation with the
assistance of two surgeons from Germany.
Bureau Report