Surgeons of the Sverdlovsk Region successfully apply advanced techniques of endocrine surgery used at the Pirogov Clinic at St Petersburg University
Specialists from Sverdlovsk Regional Clinical Hospital No 1 have successfully performed an operation to remove an adrenal tumour using a cutting-edge technique. They learned this method under the supervision of Elisei Fedorov, a surgeon in the Endocrine Surgery Department at the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University.
What makes the tumour removal technique different is that it ensures easier access to the adrenal gland through a small puncture in the back. This reduces the possibility of damage to the organ, which plays an important role in hormonal balance and maintaining blood pressure. The surgeons at the St Petersburg University Clinic who have many years of experience using this technique note a significant reduction in pain and complications during the operation and an acceleration of the rehabilitation process.
In 2024, the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University entered the top 3 best state clinics in St Petersburg according to patients and became the only medical institution in Russia to take two prize places out of three possible in its nomination.
Elisei Fedorov, a high level certificate surgeon, has extensive experience in removing the most complex adrenal tumours. He is one of the few who performs the operation with the patient placed face down on the operating table. This provides a more precise approach to the organ, i.e. just a few centimetres. The new technique significantly reduces risks and ensures rapid recovery of the patient after the operation.
The effectiveness of the innovative technique is evidenced by a story of a pharmacist from Verkhnyaya Pyshma, who was diagnosed with a large adrenal tumour. Due to using the gentle surgical technique, which allowed avoiding abdominal incisions, the woman was able to stand on her feet an hour after the surgery. The patient was discharged from the hospital just two days later.
Previously, when a patient was in a supine position during surgery, a surgeon had to overcome several anatomical structures to access the adrenal gland, e.g. the duodenum or colon, spleen, and liver, and only then was the adrenal gland accessible.
Elisei Fedorov, a surgeon in the Endocrine Surgery Department
"Now it is enough to simply move the kidney. The receptors of the back are less sensitive, which means that a patient does not experience severe discomfort in the postoperative period," explained Elisei Fedorov, Candidate of Science (Medicine).
During the operation, the surgical team closely monitors the patient’s condition using advanced imaging technologies such as ultrasound navigation and 3D modelling. This allows for precise localisation of the tumour and avoidance of damage to surrounding tissues and vessels.
Patients who have undergone this unique procedure report a reduction in pain levels and a quick return to their normal lives.