Instrumental tactile diagnostics in robot-assisted surgery.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Robotics
• Medical Device Technology
• Surgical Navigation

Background:

• Robotic surgery minimizes patient trauma but lacks tactile feedback.
• Current tactile feedback is kinesthetic, focusing on force minimization.
• Developing diagnostic tactile feedback for robotic surgery remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Medical Tactile Endosurgical Complex (MTEC) for tactile feedback in robot-assisted surgery.
• To determine if MTEC can provide sufficient tactile information for lesion identification and localization.
• To assess MTEC's utility in cases with visually undetectable pathological boundaries.

Main Methods:

• Nine elective surgeries were performed using the da Vinci™ robotic system.
• An assistant used MTEC for tactile examination, guided by the surgeon.
• Surgeons perceived tactile data via a display; assistants viewed visualizations.
• Initial surgeries focused on visually detectable lesions for training, followed by visually undetectable ones.

Main Results:

• MTEC enabled accurate identification and localization of visually undetectable lesions during robot-assisted surgery.
• Tactile diagnostics results using MTEC were consistent with intraoperative ultrasound findings.
• MTEC proved effective in procedures like thoracoscopy where ultrasound is not applicable.

Conclusions:

• MTEC is effective for providing tactile feedback in robot-assisted surgery.
• The technology allows for precise localization of lesions with visually undetectable boundaries.
• MTEC enhances surgical capabilities by overcoming limitations of visual inspection alone.