MUSCAT — A team of Omani surgeons successfully conducted the first colectomy operation of its kind in the Sultanate using surgical robot. The patient, a man in his mid-40s, was suffering from colon cancer. He was diagnosed of colon cancer at the Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah and was referred to the Colon and Rectal Surgery Unit at the Royal Hospital.
Due to the 
hi-tech method which left only a small surgical wound, the patient recovered few hours after the operation and was able to eat, drink and walk on the same day. Two days later, the patient left the hospital. A review of the patient one week after the operation at the outpatient clinic showed that he was in sound health. The patient leads a normal life and 
is ready to go back to work.
The patient said that he is very happy to be the first one to benefit from this technology that will leave no scar on his abdomen. Dr Rashid al Alawi expressed his pride over the rapid development made by the General Surgery Department, especially the Colon and Rectal Surgery Unit. He said that many surgeries are now being made using surgical microscopes and the unit was the first to perform microscopic hysterectomy at the Royal Hospital in 2008.
The unit in collaboration with the Urology Department also managed to perform the first microscopic nephrectomy. Members of the surgical team affirmed that they are ready to conduct more sophisticated surgeries using robots. — ONA
