UNIABUJA Teaching Hospital performs first endourology laser surgery

The hospital’s Associate Professor of Urology, Dr Terka Atim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Gwagwalada, FCT, that the surgery was a giant stride in the treatment of urinary tract infection and kidney stone.

He explained that endourology is a minimally invasive surgical sub-speciality in urology that involves using endoscopes and other instruments inserted into the urinary tract.

He said “It is commonly used to diagnose and treat conditions such as kidney stones, like the patient we operated upon in UATH recently on ureteral strictures, bladder tumours and urinary tract abnormalities.

“Endourology technique often involves procedures such as laser lithotripsy, which means breaking of stones into tiny particles or powder.’’

Atim said that the hospital, with support from the Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’allah, and the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Bissallah Ekele, got a TETFUND grant for Endourology and Kidney transplant.

He added that the grant enabled the successful first kidney stone laser fragmentation performed in the hospital.

He noted that laser surgery is a type of surgery that uses focused laser beams to fragment, cut, seal or vaporise tissues, while traditional surgery involves the use of surgical knives, scissors and other hand-held instruments to perform the procedure.

“Laser surgery is typically less invasive, resulting in smaller incisions or no incisions at all, less bleeding, reduced scarring, fast recovery time compared to traditional surgery, reduced risk of infection and less pain.

“In addition, laser surgery allows greater control over the depth and area of tissue affected."

According to him, laser surgery in Nigeria is scarce in public hospitals and expensive in private health centres.

“But luckily, our institution recently got a TETFUND grant for Endourology and Kidney transplantation.

“And through the support of both the vice-chancellor, UniAbuja and the CMD, UATH, we successfully carried out our first kidney stone laser fragmentation,’’ he said.