International Journal of Medical Robotics + Computer Assisted Surgery : MRCAS

BACKGROUND: The integration of virtual reality (VR) in surgery has gained prominence as VR applications have increased in popularity. METHODS: A scoping review was undertaken, gathering the most relevant sources, utilising a detailed literature search of medical and academic databases including EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane, IEEE, Google Scholar, and the Google search engine. RESULTS: Of the 18 articles included, 7 focused on VR in colon surgery, 5 addressed VR in pancreas surgery, and the remaining 6 concentrated on VR in liver surgery...

BACKGROUND: Large language models (LLM) have unknown implications for medical research. This study assessed whether LLM-generated abstracts are distinguishable from human-written abstracts and to compare their perceived quality. METHODS: The LLM ChatGPT was used to generate 20 arthroplasty abstracts (AI-generated) based on full-text manuscripts, which were compared to originally published abstracts (human-written). Six blinded orthopaedic surgeons rated abstracts on overall quality, communication, and confidence in the authorship source...

BACKGROUND: Remote-controlled robotic vascular interventional surgery can reduce radiation exposure to interventional physicians and improve safety. However, inconvenient operation and lack of force feedback limit its application. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A new wearable robotic system for vascular interventional surgery is designed, which is more flexible in operation. It ensures the safety of surgery through haptic force feedback. The system was evaluated by human vascular models and animal experiments...

BACKGROUND: No consensus has been reached on operative procedures since a limited case series of robot-assisted inferior vena cava thrombectomy (RA-IVCT) and robot-assisted radical nephrectomy (RA-RN) have been described. METHODS: The clinical data of 21 patients who underwent RA-IVCT and RA-RN were retrieved from the database. Preoperative preparation was used for assessment of the tumour. Surgical procedures were recorded, and operative skills were summarised...

BACKGROUND: This study aims to develop a new dental implant robotic system (DIRS) to relieve the burden and enhance the quality of dental implant surgery. METHODS: The implanting actuator and system controller are two parts. The implanting actuator is designed on the basis of the RCM mechanism, with its kinematics modelled. Besides, a multi-DOF admittance control strategy and a hybrid position-admittance control strategy were designed, endowing the actuator with environmental compliance...

BACKGROUND: Ureteral injury is common during gynaecological laparoscopic surgery. Real-time auto-segmentation can assist gynaecologists in identifying the ureter and reduce intraoperative injury risk. METHODS: A deep learning segmentation model was crafted for ureter recognition in surgical videos, utilising 3368 frames from 11 laparoscopic surgeries. Class activation maps enhanced the model's interpretability, showing its areas. The model's clinical relevance was validated through an End-User Turing test and verified by three gynaecological surgeons...

BACKGROUND: In order to provide accurate and reliable image guidance for augmented reality (AR) spinal surgery navigation, a spatial registration method has been proposed. METHODS: In the AR spinal surgery navigation system, grayscale-based 2D/3D registration technology has been used to register preoperative computed tomography images with intraoperative X-ray images to complete the spatial registration, and then the fusion of virtual image and real spine has been realised...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to determine whether the initial stability of a cementless cup with the Mako system is superior to that of a conventional manual technique using bone models. METHODS: The bone models were prepared using a polyurethane foam block. Two hemispherical cementless cups (highly porous titanium cup [Trident II Tritanium, Stryker] and hydroxyapatite-coated titanium cup [Trident HA, Stryker]) were implanted using the Mako system. The torque of the cups was measured by rotational and lever-out torque testing and compared with that of a conventional manual technique...

BACKGROUND: Minimal invasive surgery in hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HBP) surgery has been accepted worldwide in recent years. However, applications of single-site laparoscopic surgery in complex HBP surgery have been limited due to difficulty in manoeuvring instruments and the limited range of motion resulting from clashing instruments. METHODS: To overcome the limitations, we have used the Da Vinci single-site surgical platform with one additional port in a Da Vinci Xi system to perform donor right hepatectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy, and combined resection of the common bile duct and spleen vessels preserving distal pancreatectomy...

OBJECTIVE: to measure the in vivo application accuracy of Neuromate robot-assisted deep brain stimulation procedures (DBS) using the new, non-invasive, frameless Neurolocate registration method. METHODS: Neurolocate accuracy was measured in 17 patients undergoing DBS (32 leads). The registration was obtained by automatic recognition of the spatial location of the Neurolocate fiducials, fixed on the robot arm, on 3D intraoperative computerized tomography (CT) images relative to the patient's skull contours...

AIM: Taylor spatial frame (TSF) is a kind of six-axis external fixator based on Stewart platform, which is widely used in the fields of trauma orthopaedics and orthopaedic reconstruction. PURPOSE: To reduce the irregular movement of TSF's moving platform during orthopaedic process and decrease the risk of complications caused by collision between bone and surrounding tissue. METHOD: We combine the kinematics solutions with the multi-objective genetic algorithm and ant colony optimization to get the optimal solution for adjustment of strut length and order...

BACKGROUND: Robotic puncture system (RPS) consists of an optical tracking system (OTS) and a robotic arm gripping the puncture needle. Typically, the RPS requires hand-eye calibration before the surgery in order to obtain the relative position between the OTS and the robotic arm. However, if there is any displacement or angular deviation in either the robotic arm or the OTS, the calibration results become invalid, necessitating recalibration. METHODS: We propose an uncalibrated robotic puncture method that does not rely on the hand-eye relationship of the RPS...

BACKGROUND: Liver medical procedures are considered one of the most challenging because of the liver's complex geometry, heterogeneity, mechanical properties, and movement due to respiration. Haptic features integrated into needle insertion systems and other medical devices could support physicians but are uncommon. Additional training time and safety concerns make it difficult to implement in robot-assisted surgery. The main challenges of any haptic device in a teleoperated system are the stability and transparency levels required to develop a safe and efficient system that suits the physician's needs...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate transabdominal single-incision robotic surgery using the da Vinci SP (dVSP, Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) surgical system for retrorectal tumours. METHODS: Eight patients who underwent surgical excision of retrorectal tumours using the dVSP surgical system were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: Five patients (62.5%) had tumours positioned above the levator ani muscle, two (25.0%) had that extending across the levator ani muscle, and one (12...

BACKGROUND: The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of robot-assisted laparoscopic resection on paravertebral tumours using the anterior peritoneal approach. METHODS: A retrospective analysis to identify patients with paravertebral tumours. A total of 21 patients, who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic transabdominal anterior approach surgery from March 2012 to August 2020. RESULTS: The median operation time was 66...

BACKGROUND: Wireless power transmission for capsule robots has always posed challenges due to the unpredictable postures. METHODS: A radial transmitting coil with a novel ferrite structure is proposed, which consists of two parts with the function of converging magnetic induction lines and reducing magnetic leakage. To improve the flux density, uniformity, and shielding effectiveness, the design parameters are discussed and optimized on the basis of analytical calculations and simulation analysis...

INTRODUCTION: Little information is known regarding the energy expenditure of the surgeon during total hip arthroplasty (THA). We sought to compare the energy expenditure associated with femoral broaching using two techniques: manual and automated. METHODS: We recorded energy expenditure, minute ventilation, heart rate, and total broaching time of a single surgeon while broaching the femoral canal during direct anterior THA using two different techniques: Manual broaching (n = 26) and automated broaching (n = 20)...

BACKGROUND: The impact of unilateral and bilateral nerve-sparing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (NS-RARP) procedures on continence and the time to continence recovery have not been established. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 2801 patients who underwent RARP in 9 institutions. Procedures were classified as NS or non-NS; NS procedures were further classified as unilateral or bilateral. The recovery of continence was analysed using propensity score matching method...

BACKGROUND: Robotic systems are increasingly used to enhance clinical outcomes in prostate intervention. To evaluate the clinical value of the proposed portable robot, the robot-assisted and robot-targeted punctures were validated experimentally. METHOD: The robot registration utilising the electromagnetic tracker achieves coordinate transformation from the ultrasound (US) image to the robot. Subsequently, Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided phantom trials were conducted for robot-assisted, free-hand, and robot-targeted punctures...

BACKGROUND: A training system that allows the trainee to perform laparoscopic suturing in a realistic environment and measures the force applied to the tissue would be invaluable. This study aims to establish the construct and content validity of the training system we developed for the objective assessment of surgeons' skills. METHODS: Ten novices, 6 residents, and 6 experts performed the suturing and knot-tying task using the training system. Ten force-related parameters were used to analyse the system's construct validity...