The six-hour surgery was the first-of-its-kind to be performed in the UAE through laparoscopy, said a Dubai Health Authority statement.

As part of a joint gynecology workshop, the surgery was performed by doctors at Latifa Hospital and Professor Eugenio Solima, chair of the gynecological oncology department in Milan-Italy.

Twelve visiting  doctors  from Italy and 35 doctors from Latifa Hospital were able to see the live surgery through  audio-visual transmission, it said.

Dr Muna Tahlak, CEO of Latifa Hospital, said: “ We are pleased that this complex surgery took place successfully at our hospital in a minimally invasive way. Over the years the hospital is becoming a pioneer in minimally invasive gynecology surgeries and is also being recognized for its surgical and non-surgical treatment for endometriosis.”

She said the hospital regularly received referral cases from Dubai and other Emirates for such cases.

Dr Ghassan Lotfi, consultant gynaecologist at Latifa Hospital, said: “We had to remove the uterus, ovaries, cervix, pelvic lymph nodes and part of the vagina of the patient because she was confirmed to have cervical cancer. The surgery is known as complex laparoscopic radical hysterectomy with bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy.

“The conventional surgical method is open surgery, which causes more complications and required much longer time for the patient to recuperate and get back to normal activities. However, this surgery was performed through laparoscopy, which  is minimally invasive but requires special equipment, technology and  highly trained medical staff.”

He said that laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgery that allows the patient to heal and get better quicker, causes less complications (bleeding, infection, scarring), and makes it easier for the patient to return to normal.

He added that the surgery was successful and that the patient was discharged two days after the operation. After the histopathology report is received, the patient will receive follow- up treatment, the statement said. -TradeArabia News Service