Robotic Vitroretinal Surgery

The *Preceyes system focuses on robotic assistance for vitreoretinal (VR) surgeons. The system is designed to provide assistance so that the surgeon can work with higher accuracy and precision, while at the same time improving on dexterity. The system is expected to improve treatment outcomes for patients and increase procedural safety, while the higher degree of automation inherent to robotics is also expected to improve clinical workflows and bring down costs.

The Preceyes robot is unique because of both its ultra-high-precision and ultra-high-dexterity. This is achieved by scaling down movements in the system, which dramatically increases precision by more than a factor of 10, while also filtering out any surgeon hand tremor. The instruments used in VR surgery are so fine that they often bend and deform when inserted into the eye by hand—the level of control in our system means this does not happen. The integration of the system with the conventional operating room is also very sophisticated, and the system can be used with the majority of operating tables.

Firstly there is patient access to surgery. The level of manual control and precision that these VR surgeons have is incredible, but it takes years and years of training to get to that level. Also, a VR surgeon can quickly reach an age where hand tremor and other inaccuracies can become a problem, often long before the normal retirement age. So being able to use robotics to take over some of the precision and dexterity allows us to train surgeons faster and extend the number of years they can work once trained. This is, of course, an even bigger issue in emerging economies, where there is currently a very significant shortage of VR surgeons. But, given that the incidence of VR diseases is expected to double in the next 15 years, there will also soon be a shortage of VR surgeons in developed economies as well.

The other benefit is the improved accuracy and precision of the surgery overall, which is expected to lead to dramatically improved patient safety and health outcomes. This is a pattern that is true for all robotic surgery. The ultra-high precision required in VR surgery would suggest that the gains for patients from robotic assistance could be even greater.

Finally, the technology opens up opportunities for totally new therapies, particularly gene and cell therapies, vein cannulation, and the possibility of sub-retinal implants. With the Preceyes system you can place a needle in the sub-retinal space with a 10 micrometer precision and keep it there for two or three minutes while you carefully inject a fluid—that is something that is just impossible manually.

*  Preceyes is currently undergoing first-in-human trials, which is a development stage.


Information on this page is provided for interest only on a "best efforts" basis and does not 
constitute personal advice. Always discuss medical conditions and related matters with your doctor.

Reference: http://www.medgadget.com