Dubai: The life of a cancer patient has been saved by a unique and timely laparoscopic surgery, which according to a top surgeon, is the first of its kind in the UAE.

Laparoscopy, or keyhole surgery, is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that uses a tube with a light source and camera to allow a surgeon to access the inside of the abdomen and pelvis without making large incisions.

While it is widely practised to perform procedures relating to the female reproductive system (gynaecology) and digestive system (gastroenterology), it isn’t commonly used to suture large vessels in the body.

Dr Hafeez Rahman, specialist laparoscopic and gynaecology surgeon, and founder of International Modern Hospital (IMH) Dubai told Gulf News that the patient, a 44-year-old Filipina with uterine cancer, was admitted for surgery to remove the malignant cells.

He explained that the patient had a cancerous lymph node on the inferior vena cava (IVC), a large vein that receives blood from the lower extremities, pelvis and abdomen and delivers it to the heart.

“To remove the lymph node, we had to cut the upper part of the IVC; this had to be sutured immediately or the patient would have lost a lot of blood, collapsed and even died. Normally such a large vessel is sutured through an open [invasive procedure] surgery.

“In this particular case, we would have lost at least 10 minutes preparing the patient for open surgery, which could have been fatal. Instead of waiting, we completed the entire process through laparoscopic surgery,” he said.

In terms of the uniqueness of the procedure he said it is uncommon to repair a large vessel through laparoscopy.

“There have been only three other reported cases around the world of inferior vena cava (IVC) injury repair through laparoscopy. The patient was discharged within four days, and is in remission,” he said.

He added that with advances in medicine and techniques, laparoscopic surgeries are being added to new specialities due to the technique’s benefits that include faster recovery time, less pain after surgery and minimal scarring.

“Almost 100 per cent of all surgeries should be done through keyhole surgery whether in gynaecology, urology or major cancer surgeries. This is for the benefit of the patient,” he added.