Gloria Royo

Europe's first pediatric surgery with a robot capable of operating through a single incision bears the seal of Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, and features Ilyas, twelve years old, a patient of Gloria Royo. The milestone has been achieved with a new robotic system developed by the Chinese Surgerii Robotics, which introduces the camera and surgical instruments through a single access, avoiding the multiple incisions of conventional systems. The intervention, which consisted of the extraction of a kidney and its ureter, opens a new stage in minimally invasive pediatric surgery. The incorporation of the technology is part of a project financed by the EU, and reaffirms Vall d'Hebron's commitment to advanced robotic surgery.

Associate of the Pediatric Urology and Renal Transplant section, Gloria Royo is also a member of the hospital's Robotic Surgery Commission, and is part of the European Society of Pediatric Urology. After training and completing her residency at the same hospital, she joined the unit in 2009 and subsequently the pediatric renal transplant program. Along with Royo, Marino Asensio, head of Pediatric Urology at the hospital; David Virós, as president of the center's Robotic Surgery Commission, and the manager, Albert Salazar, have played a leading role in the intervention, contributing to reinforce Vall d'Hebron's role as a reference center in complex robotic surgery.