Doctors at the Fundeni Clinical Institute have performed Romania’s first liver transplant involving robotic retrieval

A medical team at the Fundeni Clinical Institute performed, on September 30, Romania’s first living-donor liver transplant in which the liver segment was retrieved using robotic surgery. The procedure was coordinated by Dr. Vlad Brașoveanu, and both the donor and the patient are recovering favorably after surgery.

The 53-year-old donor donated the right lobe of her liver to her 50-year-old husband. The patient was suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma that had developed against a background of cirrhosis associated with hepatitis C virus infection.

The robotic retrieval was performed by Dr. Iulian Moșteanu, graft implantation by Professor Vlad Brașoveanu, MD, and hepatic artery anastomosis, using microsurgery, by Dr. Dragoș Zamfirescu. The technique provides an enlarged three-dimensional view and articulated instruments, enabling precise dissection and reducing surgical trauma for the donor.

Living-donor transplantation is possible because the liver has the ability to regenerate. The Fundeni liver transplant program was founded by Professor Irinel Popescu, who coordinated Romania’s first liver transplant in 1997, the first successful transplant in 2000, and the first living-donor transplant, also in 2000. The center has surpassed 1,000 liver transplants.