Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026

A Pre-clinical Rat Model for the Study of Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Reconstructive Microsurgery
Published on: November 8, 2019
Design and Study of a Next-Generation Computer-Assisted System for Transoral Laser Microsurgery
Nikhil Deshpande1, Giorgio Peretti2, Francesco Mora2
1Department of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
Objective:
To present a new computer-assisted system for improved usability, intuitiveness, efficiency, and controllability in transoral laser microsurgery (TLM).
Study Design:
Pilot technology feasibility study.
Setting:
A dedicated room with a simulated TLM surgical setup: surgical microscope, surgical laser system, instruments, ex vivo pig larynxes, and computer-assisted system.
Subjects And Methods:
The computer-assisted laser microsurgery (CALM) system consists of a novel motorized laser micromanipulator and a tablet- and stylus-based control interface. The system setup includes the Leica 2 surgical microscope and the DEKA HiScan Surgical laser system. The system was validated through a first-of-its-kind observational study with 57 international surgeons with varied experience in TLM. The subjects performed real surgical tasks on ex vivo pig larynxes in a simulated TLM scenario. The qualitative aspects were established with a newly devised questionnaire assessing the usability, efficiency, and suitability of the system.
Results:
The surgeons evaluated the CALM system with an average score of 6.29 (out of 7) in ease of use and ease of learning, while an average score of 5.96 was assigned for controllability and safety. A score of 1.51 indicated reduced workload for the subjects. Of 57 subjects, 41 stated that the CALM system allows better surgical quality than the existing TLM systems.
Conclusions:
The CALM system augments the usability, controllability, and efficiency in TLM. It enhances the ergonomics and accuracy beyond the current state of the art, potentially improving the surgical safety and quality. The system offers the intraoperative automated scanning of customized long incisions achieving uniform resections at the surgical site.
Related Concept Videos
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI)
Study Designs in Epidemiology
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...
Study Design in Statistics
Does aspirin reduce the risk of heart attacks? Is one brand of fertilizer more effective at growing roses than another? Is fatigue as dangerous to a driver as the influence of alcohol? Questions like these are answered using randomized experiments with proper...
Group Design
Bioavailability Study Design: Single Versus Multiple Dose Studies
Bioequivalence Experimental Study Designs: Completely Randomized and Randomized Block Designs

