Robot-assisted bladder diverticulectomy in a 9-year-old boy

Pediatric urologists rarely encounter bladder diverticulum in children. If the bladder diverticulum has clinical manifestations such as pain, urinary tract infection, hematuria, voiding dysfunction, vesicoureteral reflux, or obstruction of the ureterovesical anastomosis, then surgical treatment is indicated. Recently, numerous publications began to appear on the removal of the bladder diverticulum using laparoscopic or vesicoscopic access. Several foreign publications have reported on the removal of a bladder diverticulum in children using a robotic approach. A 9-year-old boy who was diagnosed with a bladder diverticulum underwent robot-assisted bladder diverticulectomy in January 2020 at the Almazov National Medical Research Centre. Ports of da Vinci 12 and two 8-mm ports, as well as an assistant 5-mm port, were used, which were installed in typical places for lower abdominal surgery. The duration of the operation was 135 min, and the console time was 75 min. The blood loss volume was 20 mL. The patient was in the intensive care unit for 1 day. The urethral catheter was removed on day 7 after the operation. Urination independence, delays, and incontinence were not noted. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 9 in satisfactory condition. At the control examination after a year at the patient’s residence, she had no complaints, urination was not disrupted, and there were no pathological changes in the ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder. Robot-assisted bladder diverticulectomy in children is a feasible, effective, and safe treatment option in expert centers with extensive experience in robotic surgery. The described clinical case of bladder diverticulectomy is the first in Russia, which was performed using a robotic system in pediatric practice.