The patient, a 37-year-old woman from former Phu Yen province, was diagnosed with a giant aneurysm of the renal artery at the renal hilum. After being advised by several major hospitals in southern Vietnam to have her kidney removed, she sought a second opinion from Dr. Ngo Vi Hai, Head of the Thoracic Surgery Department at the 108 Military Central Hospital, in hopes of finding a kidney-preserving treatment.

Following detailed imaging and examination, Dr. Hai identified a 5 cm aneurysm in the patient’s left renal artery, already causing pain, a warning sign of possible rupture. Because the aneurysm was located at the renal hilum, where critical blood vessels branch to the kidney, stent placement was not feasible.

“This is an extremely complex position that cannot be repaired while the kidney remains inside the body. The only viable solution was to remove the kidney, reconstruct the blood vessels, and then reimplant it,” Dr. Hai explained.

A multidisciplinary surgical team, comprising experts in upper urinary tract and vascular surgery, agreed on the minimally invasive approach. The kidney was laparoscopically removed, the aneurysm excised, and the renal artery reconstructed using the patient’s own saphenous vein. The kidney was then reimplanted into the same pelvic region following standard transplantation techniques.

“In this type of lesion, the kidney’s warm ischemia time must not exceed 20–30 minutes. Using the autotransplant technique allowed us to reconstruct the vessels safely while preserving kidney function,” said Dr. Nguyen Viet Hai, Head of the Upper Urology Department and a key member of the surgical team.

The four-hour operation was completed successfully. Postoperative results showed that the transplanted kidney functioned well with stable blood perfusion, confirmed by ultrasound and angiography. The patient made a rapid recovery, and was able to walk and care for herself shortly after surgery. Notably, she did not require any anti-rejection or immunosuppressive medication, as it was an autologous transplant.

Currently, the patient’s condition is stable, and kidney function remains normal. Worldwide, such cases are extremely rare, and this marks Vietnam’s first successful autotransplant kidney surgery.

Dr. Ngo Vi Hai emphasised that the success of this operation not only represents a medical milestone but also demonstrates innovation and close interdisciplinary collaboration within the hospital. “This opens new treatment pathways for complex renal lesions that were once considered untreatable,” he said.

The achievement once again affirms the 108 Military Central Hospital’s leading position in organ transplantation, pioneering advanced surgical techniques and pushing the boundaries of Vietnamese medicine on the regional map.

Vietnamese hospital receives first Asian record in in-vitro fertilisation

VOV.VN - Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has been recognised by the Asian Records Organisation (ABR) as the first hospital in Asia to develop a lab-in-a-lab system for gamete manipulation and embryo culture in the in-vitro fertilization field.