KPL
(KPL/KYODO) A Japanese university and the Japan Surgical Society said Wednesday that they have performed surgeries on five patients with bowel cancer using remote-controlled robots since August, aiming to address a shortage and geographic maldistribution of doctors.
The surgeries were successfully performed by doctors of Hirosaki University Hospital and Tsugaru General Hospital, both in the northeastern prefecture of Aomori.
In each surgery, a doctor operating a surgical robot called "hinotori", developed by a Japanese company Medicaroid Corp., was assisted by another doctor remotely controlling the same robot from a different location.
They were the first clinical application in Japan of robotic surgeries performed by doctors at different locations, according to the Hirosaki University and the society.
They plan to perform several more surgeries using the same method through March to verify its safety before seeking regulatory approval for the use of necessary equipment and national health insurance coverage.
Masaki Mori, Tokai University professor and head of a remote surgery promotion committee at the Japan Surgical Society, told a press conference at Hirosaki University, "Our primary goal is to eliminate regional disparities in surgical treatment," adding that the society hopes for a commercial rollout of remote robotic surgery in about two years.
The university and the society aim to make remote surgery widely available across the country to spare patients the expense and inconvenience of traveling for treatment.
KPL
