Robotic Surgery Advances Pediatric Bladder Reconstruction at 12 de Octubre Hospital
The 12 de Octubre University Hospital in Madrid has successfully performed a bladder reconstruction using robotic surgery on a 7-year-old boy born with a congenital malformation of the urinary system. This intervention, carried out by the Children’s Urology section of the Pediatric Surgery Service, marks the first time the hospital has utilized the Da Vinci robotic system to correct a case of bladder exstrophy in a pediatric patient of such a young age.
Understanding Bladder Exstrophy
The patient was born with bladder exstrophy, a rare congenital malformation occurring in approximately one in every 30,000 to 40,000 newborns, where the bladder is located outside the abdomen. This condition carries significant functional, medical, and emotional repercussions for both the patient and their family.
12 de Octubre Hospital: A Reference Center
The 12 de Octubre Hospital is a designated Center for Reference in Spain (CSUR) for the treatment of bladder exstrophy. A specialized multidisciplinary team, comprising pediatric urologists, anesthetists, and nursing staff, provides comprehensive and personalized care to patients.
Benefits of Robotic Surgery
The use of robotic surgery was crucial in this case, providing a wider and more precise view of the bladder and surrounding anatomical structures. The surgery involved expanding the bladder and creating a mechanism to improve the patient’s urinary continence.
Extensive Robotic Surgery Experience
The Children’s Urology section has accumulated significant experience in robotic surgery, completing a total of 54 interventions on pediatric patients. In 2025, the hospital successfully operated on a patient with the youngest age and lowest weight treated using this technique, who presented with an obstruction in the outflow of urine from the kidney to the ureter.
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