When energetic eight-year-old Kruze from Charters Towers came home from school complaining of stomach pain, his mum Jade knew something wasn’t right.
“An ultrasound revealed that one of his kidneys was almost twice the size of the other,” Jade explained.
Doctors diagnosed Kruze with bilateral ureteropelvic junction obstructions—blockages that prevent urine from flowing properly from the kidneys to the bladder.
Left untreated, the condition can cause urinary tract infections and lead to permanent kidney damage.
Initially facing the possibility of traditional open surgery—which would have required a long recovery and left a significant scar—Jade was overjoyed to learn about a new robotic-assisted surgery which would be a far less invasive.
Made possible thanks to generous donations from the Queensland community, Kruze became the first child in Queensland to undergo robotic-assisted surgery with the $3.3m da Vinci XI surgical system, and was discharged from Mater Private Hospital Townsville less than 24 hours after the procedure.
Paediatric surgeon and urologist Dr Janani Krishnan led the groundbreaking procedure.
“This procedure a game-changer for paediatric surgery in our state. Kruze has made a great recovery from his complex surgery and he will be the first of many young Queenslanders to benefit from robotic-assisted surgery,” he says.
Access to the da Vinci XI robot allows Townsville—and Queensland—to lead the nation in paediatric robotic surgery, while also becoming a hub for training future specialists in this cutting-edge field.
