RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre has performed what it described as the world’s first series of robot-controlled, single-port liver resections on living donors, which it said marks a significant advancement in organ transplantation.
A single-port liver resection is a minimally invasive surgery to remove part of the liver. The procedures carried out by the Saudi hospital involved a single incision of no more than 3.5 centimeters, instead of the several incisions typically required in conventional robotic surgery of this kind. This new approach reduces surgical pain and speeds up recovery, while maintaining high safety standards.
The benefits to donor safety are particularly significant, given that living donors are healthy individuals voluntarily undergoing surgery to help others.
The hospital said the procedures, carried out on six donors, resulted in minimal blood loss, no complications, low levels of pain, and the donors were discharged within two or three days.
The technique is also expected to improve outcomes for pediatric transplants, medical authorities say, because it is well-suited for removal of the left lateral segment of the liver (representing about 20 percent of total liver volume) while minimizing the surgical burden on donors.
Dieter Broering, executive director of the Organ Transplant Center of Excellence at the hospital, said the development of the technique reflects a structured expansion of robotic liver surgery, built on extensive experience.
The hospital has carried out more than 1,600 robotic, living-donor liver resections, the highest number globally, supported by a progressive model that integrates training, simulation and phased clinical implementation, he added.
The achievement reinforces the hospital’s position as a global leader in robotic surgery and organ transplantation, officials said, in alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Health Sector Transformation Program and the hospital’s strategy to deliver advanced specialized care.
The hospital ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa, and 12th globally, in the 2026 Brand Finance Top 250 Hospitals report. It has also been named by Brand Finance as the most valuable healthcare brand in Saudi Arabia, and the wider region, and listed by Newsweek among the World’s Best Hospitals, Best Smart Hospitals and Best Specialized Hospitals for 2026.
