GYEONGGI-DO

Professor Jeong Woo-Jin from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital

Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Department Successfully Leads

the First ‘Thyroid Robotic Surgery’ Mission in the Middle East

 

- Visiting Kuwait for Thyroid Robotic Surgery Training, Leading the Way,

Featured on Local National Broadcasting -

 

 

 

 

Medical staff from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Korea achieved success in spreading Korea’s excellent surgical techniques abroad by performing the first thyroid robotic surgery in the Middle East, in Kuwait.

 

According to Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, in January, the team led by Professor Jeong Woo-Jin (including nurses Shin Sol-ji and Park Ji-hye) visited Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Hospital in Kuwait at the invitation of the Kuwait Ministry of Health. They successfully performed thyroid robotic surgery.

 

Thyroid robotic surgery is advantageous because it involves surgery via the ear, mouth, or other routes, leaving no prominent scars on the neck compared to conventional open surgery. However, there were no skilled specialists in thyroid robotic surgery in Middle Eastern countries including Kuwait, preventing local patients from receiving this treatment.

 

As a result, Ramla Mohammad, a specialist at Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital in Kuwait who had trained under Professor Jeong Woo-Jin in Korea, invited Professor Jeong to Kuwait to demonstrate the surgical process before performing robotic surgery locally. This overseas mission was successful.

 

The patient who underwent surgery was a Kuwaiti woman in her 30s suffering from bilateral thyroid tumors. Professor Jeong Woo-Jin successfully removed both sides of the thyroid using the bilateral retroauricular approach (approaching through incisions behind the ears) robotic surgery method.

 

According to Intuitive Surgical, the US company supplying the surgical robot “da Vinci,” this surgery was the first thyroid robotic surgery not only in Kuwait but also in the entire Middle East. This achievement confirms Korea’s prominent position in the field of robotic surgery within the medical community.

 

Professor Jeong Woo-Jin stated, “Thyroid robotic surgery is considered standard for patients with thyroid cancer or less advanced tumors who wish to avoid large scars on the neck. It was very meaningful to be able to disseminate advanced surgical techniques that can improve the quality of life for women in the Middle East.”

 

Meanwhile, Professor Jeong Woo-Jin’s mission surgery in Kuwait was broadcasted on Kuwait National Broadcasting KTV News.

 

Kuwait National Broadcasting KTV News Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPsJj0ZVGwY

 

 

 

Website: https://www.snubh.org/dh/en