Rabat – Oncorad Group, specializing in cancer prevention and treatment, successfully performed on Wednesday Morocco’s first-ever robot-assisted surgeries in Casablanca.
Robotic surgery is a minimally invasive surgery where surgeons use a computer-controlled robot to assist them in performing complex surgical procedures.
Speaking to Morocco’s news agency MAP, Oncorad Group CEO Redouane El Smlali said that Morocco has taken a substantial leap forward in medical technology by conducting its first robotic surgeries.
“This is a monumental day for the field of surgery in Morocco. The adoption of robotic surgery will radically transform our surgical performance,” El Smlali, who is also a professor of radiology, said. He emphasized that highly skilled surgeons will now be able to leverage this advanced technology to enhance their procedures.
El Smlali explained that robotic surgery allows surgeons to perform a wide range of complex operations with greater precision, flexibility, and control compared to traditional techniques. The robotic system enables instruments to rotate 360 degrees, which is beyond human capability.
He added that this technology facilitates remote operations with the surgeon comfortably seated, thereby reducing fatigue and increasing accuracy. In addition, the three-dimensional imaging system can clearly differentiate between vessels, nerves, and tissues, minimizing side effects and improving surgical outcomes.
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Younes Ahlal, a urologist and specialist in urologic oncology from the University Hospital of Nice, oversaw the surgeries. The procedures included a radical prostatectomy for a patient with prostate cancer, a partial nephrectomy, and the removal of a kidney tumor.
Ahlal said that both surgeries were successful, noting that the 3D vision and precision provided by the robot were crucial to their success.
He explained that the three-dimensional vision system gives doctors a sense of depth and provides an enlarged view of the organs being operated on. This allows the specialist to control all movements of the machine with the utmost sensitivity, preserving the patient’s organs as much as possible.
