‘Spain’s hallmark in Vatican’: The Spanish medical science behind Pope Francis’ lung operation
Spanish surgical innovation takes centre stage after Pope Leo XIV’s lung operation
Poinews.com – Pope Leo XIV is recovering after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung, a procedure that has drawn attention to a thoracic technique created in Spain and now used internationally.
The 71-year-old pontiff had the operation on Tuesday at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. The surgery lasted about 90 minutes and proceeded as planned. He later spent a calm night and woke normally, while medical teams await further test results to establish whether the cancer has spread.
At the centre of the operation was Uniportal VATS, a minimally invasive approach developed by Spanish thoracic surgeon Diego González Rivas. The technique was first developed in A Coruña in 2010 and has since been adopted in 146 countries.
"The Pope has already been operated on; he is on the ward with hardly any pain and recovering very well," González Rivas said in a video posted on social media.
For González Rivas, the procedure represented a significant moment for the surgical method he pioneered. He highlighted not only the Pope’s early recovery, but also the decision by the Gemelli Hospital team to use the single-incision technique.
"The most interesting thing, and the reason why I feel deeply proud, is that he was operated on using our Uniportal VATS technique."
A single incision for complex chest surgery
Uniportal VATS, short for uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, allows surgeons to operate through one small opening in the chest. The incision is generally between three and five centimetres long. A camera provides images from inside the chest while specialised instruments are inserted through the same entry point.
The method can be used for demanding operations, including the removal of part of a lung. It can also support biopsies of the lung or pleura, the tissue surrounding the lungs. Rather than relying on a larger chest opening, surgeons use the camera-guided view to perform the procedure through the single access point.
Its potential benefits for patients include less pain after surgery, a shorter stay in hospital and a quicker return to recovery. These advantages help explain why minimally invasive thoracic procedures have become an important focus in modern surgical practice.
Yet the technique is not simply a smaller version of conventional surgery. It demands substantial expertise from the operating team. Surgeons must be comfortable with minimally invasive methods while also retaining the skills needed for traditional chest surgery, particularly if complications arise during the operation or in the period that follows.
A Coruña’s contribution reaches the Vatican
González Rivas graduated in medicine and surgery from the University of Santiago de Compostela. He has described Uniportal VATS as a technique born in A Coruña before expanding far beyond Spain’s borders.
The surgeon also noted his close relationship with staff at Gemelli Hospital, where the Pope’s operation was performed. For him, the procedure demonstrated the international reach of Spanish medical research and surgical training.
"Spain's hallmark at the Vatican," the physician concluded proudly.
The use of Uniportal VATS in such a high-profile operation gives renewed visibility to a technique that has travelled from a Spanish city to operating theatres across much of the world. Its role in the Pope’s treatment also illustrates how advances in specialist medicine can move from local development to broad international use.
For patients facing thoracic surgery, the procedure’s value lies in its aim to reduce the physical impact of an operation without limiting the surgeon’s ability to carry out complex work. Recovery, however, remains individual and depends on the condition being treated, the extent of surgery and any findings after the procedure.
Pope Leo XIV’s immediate post-operative condition has been described as positive, with little pain and a good early recovery on the ward. The next medical assessments will be important in determining the broader outlook following the removal of the tumour.
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