Southampton Children's Hospital first in the UK to use pioneering robot for kidney surgery

Southampton Children’s Hospital (SCH) has become the first NHS site in the UK to use a pioneering robotic platform to perform kidney surgery on a child.

The technology, known as the Versius Surgical Robotic System, is part of a landmark trial that could lead to a wider use of robotics in paediatric surgery nationally.

Its use has been hailed as “one of the most exciting developments” by surgeons at SCH – part of University Hospital Southampton (UHS) – who are leading the study which will recruit 150 patients.

The system has an innovative 720-degree range of motion which allows the surgical instruments to be small enough to perform complex operations on paediatric patients.

It is hoped the technology will replicate its success in adult surgery, with faster recovery times, less post-operative pain, and less time in hospital.

The first patient to benefit from the development is seven-year-old Reece Wilton from Gosport.

Reece was diagnosed with pelviureteric junction obstruction in May 2023, a condition where there is a blockage or obstruction of urine flow from the kidney into the ureter. The condition affects between 1/1000 to 1/1500 children, and if left untreated can lead to loss of kidney function overtime.

Reece’s mum, Elizabeth Wilton, said: “Reece was nervous about his operation before, but we showed him pictures and he was quite excited to know a robot was operating on him.

“We have complete faith in the team at Southampton Children’s Hospital and we are incredibly happy that Reece is benefitting from this pioneering trial.”

The robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty procedure was performed by Ewan Brownlee, consultant paediatric urologist at UHS, who is leading the trial. The surgery involved repairing the narrowing at the junction of the kidney pelvis and ureter.

Mr Brownlee said: “This has been three years in the making so it’s really exciting for the whole paediatric urology team, and paediatric urology in the UK, that the first operation has finally taken place.

“The evidence for use of robotics in surgery shows clear benefits for patients, from quicker healing time and smaller scars to, in some cases, better overall outcomes.

“I’m hoping that this is the start of seeing an increase in minimally invasive surgery for children all around the UK when this becomes more widely available”.

The robot, created by UK company CMR Surgical, uses a unique ‘wrist rotation’ for easy manipulation of the tip of the instrument, which allows for the instruments to be smaller than otherwise commercially available, minimising the size of incision required.

Stephen Griffin, consultant paediatric urologist at UHS, who assisted during the operation, said: “Ewan, CMR and our UHS research team have put in a lot of effort to get us to this stage. Personally, I think this will be one of the most exciting developments within the field of paediatric urology over the next 10 years.”

Paul Grundy, chief medical officer at UHS, said: “I am absolutely delighted we have been able to further expand our robotics programme at UHS.

“We have long been one of the leading hospital trusts in the UK in this area and, along with our world-class surgeons, have been able to improve patient outcomes and equity of access to pioneering innovations, such as Versius, for some time - and will continue to do so.”

He added: “Our paediatric patients will now also benefit, which is a hugely exciting era. We are proud to be at the heart of the research that will hopefully lay the foundations for others in the near future.”

Mark Slack, co-founder and chief medical officer at CMR Surgical commented: “We are delighted to begin the world’s first paediatric trial using Versius, in the UK. The small, modular design of Versius, and small instrument diameter provides an opportunity to be able to perform robotic-assisted surgery for the treatment of paediatric patients.

“We are committed to the responsible introduction of Versius across new specialties and we look forward to working with our partners as we undertake this clinical trial to ensure the safety and efficacy of Versius in paediatrics.”

The multi-centre paediatric trial is being led by University Hospital Southampton and is running at three sites across the UK.

The results will provide evidence required to guide surgeons’ decisions around when and how to use the robot.