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Supervised Autonomous Electrosurgery for Soft Tissue Resection
Jiawei Ge1, Hamed Saeidi2, Michael Kam1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Proceedings. IEEE International Symposium on Bioinformatics and Bioengineering
|March 27, 2024
Summary
This study introduces a robotic system for precise tumor removal, achieving millimeter accuracy in soft tissue resection. This advanced technique enhances surgical outcomes by automating tumor edge delineation and resection, paving the way for autonomous cancer surgery.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Surgical Oncology
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Surgical resection is standard for squamous cell carcinoma, but manual methods face challenges in accurate tumor margin delineation.
- Limitations in visualization and hand-eye coordination during manual surgery can lead to errors in tumor edge definition.
- Surgical automation offers potential for improved consistency and outcomes by reducing surgeon burden.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel robotic supervised autonomous electrosurgery technique for soft tissue resection.
- To achieve millimeter-level accuracy in tumor resection margins.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of an autonomous dual-robot cooperation workflow for tumor removal.
Main Methods:
- A 4-DOF suction system was integrated with a 6-DOF electrocautery robot.
- A near-infrared fluorescent marker was used to define pseudotumors on cadaver samples.
- A dual-camera system tracked the marker for autonomous pseudotumor localization.
- The system performed supervised autonomous resection on porcine tongue samples.
Main Results:
- The integrated robotic system successfully localized pseudotumors using near-infrared marker tracking.
- Autonomous resection of three pseudotumors was achieved in porcine tongue samples.
- Average surface and depth resection errors were measured at 1.19mm and 1.83mm, respectively.
Conclusions:
- The developed robotic electrosurgery technique demonstrates millimeter accuracy in soft tissue resection.
- The autonomous dual-robot cooperation workflow is a viable approach for precise tumor removal.
- This work represents a significant advancement towards fully autonomous tumor resection in clinical practice.
