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Mexico Performs First Pediatric Living‑Donor Liver Transplant With Robotic Hepatectomy

Officials say the use of robotic tools could shorten donor recovery and help spread high‑precision transplant surgery across the health system.

Overview

  • The Centro Médico Naval carried out the procedure on June 14, 2026, using the Da Vinci Xi robotic platform with 3D modelling and intraoperative ultrasound, and officials reported the unnamed child recipient and the living donor were discharged in favorable condition.
  • The operation was led by naval surgeons in coordination with the Secretaría de Salud’s Centro Nacional de Trasplantes (CENATRA) and international transplant specialists, officials said.
  • Surgeons performed a hepatectomy, the surgical removal of part of a liver, with robot assistance to make smaller incisions, improve precision around blood vessels, and reduce blood loss for the donor.
  • Authorities have presented the case as a technological milestone but no peer‑reviewed data or independent clinical follow‑up have been published yet, so longer‑term outcomes and comparative benefits remain unconfirmed.
  • Health officials say the success could encourage more hospitals to adopt robotic techniques and may ease donor risk and wait times for pediatric patients, but questions remain about training, costs and how the approach will be scaled in Mexico’s public system.