CU Medicine and ETH Zurich make history with the world’s first long-distance in vivo teleoperated magnetic endoscopy using an animal model
CU Medicine and ETH Zurich conduct the world’s first in vivo teleoperated magnetic endoscopy using a porcine model, performing a biopsy of the stomach wall.
Researchers from CU Medicine and ETH Zurich in Switzerland have broken new ground by performing a long-distance, robot-assisted magnetic endoscopy over a distance of 9,300 km. The study demonstrates how advanced robotics could help doctors perform specialist exams and surgical procedures in remote and underserved areas.
Endoscopy is a medical procedure in which doctors examine the inside of the body using endoscopes: long, flexible tubes with cameras attached. The innovative system developed by CU Medicine and ETH Zurich allowed an expert at an operator console in Zurich and a clinician in an operating room in Hong Kong to use a remote-controlled endoscope to video and collect tissue samples from the stomach wall of a live pig.
Operating at a distance
While standard endoscopes are controlled by hand, magnetic endoscopes are guided around the inside of the body by an external magnet. The teleoperated system adopted in the study used a magnetic endoscope and a portable magnetic navigation system, linked to a small bedside computer. This meant the operator in Zurich could control the endoscope in Hong Kong from their local computer over a reliable, high-speed internet connection, while monitoring a video feed.
The study found that the robot-controlled magnetic endoscope was able to bend and move within the stomach just as a standard endoscope would, including performing a U-turn. The tissue samples collected were also found to be of suitable quality for analysis.
The successful retroflexion of the magnetic endoscopes proves that they can move as freely as standard devices.
Bringing better telehealth to remote areas
Teleoperated endoscopy could improve health outcomes in remote areas by offering immediate diagnostic and surgical care where local expertise is lacking, as well as enabling remote surgical training and mentoring.
Dr. Shannon Melissa Chan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at CU Medicine, said, ‘A remote expert can even instruct trained nurses to perform the procedures. Millions of patients worldwide will be able to be diagnosed and treated for gastrointestinal cancer in a timely manner as endoscopic technology becomes more accessible.’
The researchers’ next goal is to test this technology on humans, with a view to exploring its use in other procedures.
Dr. Shannon Chan, using a joystick, remotely operates the teleoperated magnetic endoscopic system at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
Prof. Bradley Nelson, Director of the Multi-Scale Robotics Lab, Head of the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zurich, said, ‘In the next step of our research, we will be performing tele-endoscopy on a human stomach. In addition to endoscopic procedures, such as cancer screening, there is a lot of potential for this technology. This includes its application to other areas of the gastrointestinal tract, to the neurovascular system and in foetal surgery.’
Prof. Philip Chiu, Dean of CU Medicine and Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Professor of Robotic Surgery, concluded, ‘Teleoperated procedures could greatly enhance access to healthcare by creating a network of robotic platforms, which would facilitate the global dissemination of surgical expert knowledge and expertise. The collaboration between CU Medicine and ETH Zurich serves not only as a synergistic platform to facilitate innovation in medical practices, but also illustrates the institutions’ expertise in clinical translation and direct patient benefits.’
The robotic platform used in this study is installed in the Hybrid Operating Room at the Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Center (MRC), one of InnoHK Centres established at CUHK as part of the Hong Kong Government’s InnoHK initiative, a HK$10 billion (US$1.3 billion) scheme of the Hong Kong Government to develop the city as the hub for global research collaboration. The MRC Hybrid Operating Room is a one-of-its-kind facility in Asia that is fully dedicated to research, development and preclinical evaluation of new surgical robots and medical devices. ETH Zurich is one of MRC’s overseas collaborating institutions.
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