Application of 5G technology in remote robotic surgery: a comprehensive assessment of system architecture, clinical...

This narrative review synthesizes global advances is paving the way for remote robotic surgery (telerobotic surgery), enabling surgeons to perform precise procedures over long distances with real-time responsiveness. This review synthesizes global advances in this field, outlining the system architecture and discussing reported clinical outcomes from early series-such as reduced intraoperative blood loss and shorter hospital stays, as illustrated by preliminary clinical series, such as 29 successful remote nephrectomies over 1,775 km reported in a selected patient cohort with no major complications in the short term. Key milestones are highlighted, from early transatlantic experiments to recent ultra-long-range procedures in China. The technology also demonstrates transformative potential for surgical training and optimized resource allocation via hub-and-spoke models. However, current applications remain largely experimental, constrained by small sample sizes, a scarcity of rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and limited long-term data. Significant challenges persist, including network latency and instability-especially beyond 200 ms, which can impair precision-cybersecurity vulnerabilities, a steep surgeon learning curve, high costs, and unresolved ethical-legal concerns regarding liability and cross-border practice. As a cornerstone of digital healthcare, 5G telerobotic surgery holds substantial promise for expanding global access to expert surgical care, provided these technical, economic, and regulatory barriers can be overcome through collaborative standardization and targeted innovation.