Remote surgery

From ArticleWorld

Telesurgery enables surgeons to carry out surgical operations at a distance. This is done using specialized electronic communications and robots. Telesurgery forms part of the concept of telemedicine and is gaining widespread interest in the medical world.

How it works

The patient is placed in a special operation theater which contains surgical robots and communication devices that transmit and receive signals to and from a remote surgeon over a high-speed network. The remote surgeon controls the surgical robots which can carry and operate a variety of surgical tools. The surgeon is provided a 3-D view (along with 3-D sound) of the actual operating area, possibly with tactile feedback. The surgeon uses devices on his or her end to control the surgical robot in real time. The time lag between the surgeon's commands and the return video image is very short, typically less than 200 milliseconds.

Current status

Robots are already being used to assist surgeons in normal surgery, such as in the installation of artificial hips and for delicate eye surgery. Research is continuing in the field of telesurgery and many telesurgery systems have already been developed.

The first major telesurgery operation was carried out successfully in September 2001. It involved two medical teams linked by a high-speed fiber-optic line and video. One was with the patient in France, and the other medical team in New York was remotely controlling a surgical robot arm. The New York team successfully removed the patient's gall bladder.

Applications

Telesurgery can be used to operate upon patients located at sites which are remote or too dangerous or impractical to access. These locations can include space stations, submarines, the South Pole and battlefields. Telesurgery can also prove useful in areas where specialized surgeons are not available.