A woman is pregnant after being the first to receive a new uterus with the aid of robotic technology, it has been announced.
The procedure was performed last year in Gothenburg, Sweden, where uterine transplants have been pioneered.
Surgeons reported using robot-assisted keyhole surgery to remove a uterus from a living donor. They say the main beneficiary is the donor, who suffers a reduced loss of blood and spends less time in hospital.
The beneficiary is expected to give birth in the spring and the baby will be the ninth birth from the Swedish programme. Worldwide another five babies have been born from uterine transplantation.
The surgeons said that robot assistance did not save significant time but allowed them a high level of accuracy during the procedure.
They worked through five 1cm size opening.
Professor Mats Brännström, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, said: “I think robotic surgery has a great future in this area.
“We haven’t saved as much time as we thought we would, but we gained in other ways. The donor loses less blood, the hospital stay is shorter, and the patient feels better after surgery.”
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