Recently, the Department of General Surgery at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center—an affiliate of both the National Children's Medical Center and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine—successfully carried out a transumbilical single-port robotic choledochal cyst excision on a 40-day-old infant named Doudou. This achievement sets a new record for the youngest age in similar surgeries, both within China and globally, marking a significant breakthrough in minimally invasive surgery for infants and young children.

Doudou was diagnosed with a choledochal cyst during her mother's pregnancy. After birth, further examinations confirmed that she had extrahepatic bile duct dilation accompanied by cystic lesions. Determined to seek the best possible treatment, Doudou's family brought her to the Shanghai Children's Medical Center for expert consultation.

Given the unique challenges posed by the small abdominal cavity and delicate tissues of young infants, the surgical procedure was particularly demanding. The team, led by Dr. Yan Zhilong, opted to utilize a domestic single-port robotic surgical system. Through a small incision in the umbilicus, they inserted surgical instruments and, with the aid of a high-definition 3D view, precisely excised the cyst and performed a hepaticojejunostomy.

Doudou's recovery was smooth and uneventful, and she was discharged from the hospital on the eighth day post-surgery. This successful procedure underscores the potential of robotic surgery to be safely and effectively applied in the treatment of complex congenital diseases in newborns. It offers pediatric patients a less invasive alternative with a faster recovery time, representing a significant advancement in pediatric surgical care.