Prof-Dr Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital, on the morning of January 21, announced that for the first time in Vietnam, the hospital had successfully performed a highly complex procedure involving the simultaneous removal of two massive polycystic kidneys—together weighing nearly 10 kg—in a patient with end-stage renal failure, followed by a kidney transplant in the same operation.
The male patient suffered from polycystic kidney and liver disease that had progressed to end-stage renal failure, with severe abdominal distension caused by the compression of two giant kidneys.
Following a rigorous evaluation and screening process, both the donor and the recipient were confirmed to fully meet the criteria for kidney transplantation.
The surgery, carried out on January 6, lasted more than three hours and required close coordination among multiple specialists in organ transplantation. The surgical team successfully removed the two enlarged polycystic kidneys, with a combined weight of nearly 10 kg, while preserving both adrenal glands and achieving optimal bleeding control.
At the same time, another team harvested a kidney from a living donor for transplantation into the patient.
Postoperative developments were highly positive. Within 48 hours after the transplant, kidney function showed marked improvement. The patient was fully conscious, vital signs remained stable, and no blood transfusion was required during or after the operation. He returned to normal condition after one week of treatment and was discharged two weeks later.
According to Assoc Prof-Dr Pham Ngoc Hung, Head of the Department of Renal and Urologic Surgery at Hue Central Hospital, this is the first case in Vietnam involving the simultaneous removal of polycystic kidneys and kidney transplantation—a highly sophisticated technique that, worldwide, has so far been successfully performed at only two medical centers.
