Bogotá, Colombia – For the first time in Colombia, a robotic pediatric surgery was successfully performed on a baby under one year old at Clínica del Country.

The procedure was a robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty carried out with the da Vinci Xi robotic system, the most advanced surgical platform of its kind.

The surgery was led by Dr. Pablo Gomez III, a highly experienced pediatric urologist who has completed more than 750 pediatric robotic surgeries during his career. Dr. Gomez, who also directs the Pediatric Urology Program at AdventHealth for Children in Orlando, emphasized the advantages of robotic surgery in complex pediatric cases:

“This platform provides extreme precision and safety, which is crucial in high-complexity surgeries on infants,” he explained.

The condition

The patient, a baby less than one year old, was born with a ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO)—a congenital condition that prevents urine from draining properly from the kidney to the bladder. If untreated, it can cause kidney damage and long-term complications.

Traditionally, UPJO has been corrected with open or laparoscopic surgery. The robotic approach offers clear benefits:

  • Minimally invasive surgery with smaller incisions.
  • Faster recovery and less postoperative pain.
  • Greater precision when reconstructing delicate urinary tract structures.
  • Reduced risk of complications.

A milestone for the region

This operation represents a historic milestone in Colombian medicine, positioning the country at the forefront of pediatric robotic surgery in Latin America.

According to the Clínica del Country team, this achievement demonstrates how innovation and advanced technology can improve children’s quality of life and opens the door for similar complex pediatric procedures across the region.