Surgeons from the Scottish region and the US Achieve Groundbreaking Brain Operation Using Automated Technology
Doctors from the Scottish region and America have accomplished what is considered a pioneering stroke surgery employing a robot.
The lead surgeon, associated with a research center, performed the remote thrombectomy - the extraction of circulatory obstructions following a stroke - on a medical specimen that had been provided for research.
The professor was positioned in a treatment center in the Scottish city, while the body she was operating on with the machine was at another location at the academic institution.
Hours later, a medical specialist from the US location utilized the system to perform the first transatlantic surgery from his Florida location on a donated cadaver in Dundee over significant distance away.
The medical group has called it a potential "game changer" if it becomes approved for use on patients.
The medics consider this technology could transform stroke treatment, as a limited availability of professional intervention can have a major influence on the healing potential.
"It seemed like we were witnessing the first glimpse of the next generation," commented the medical expert.
"Where previously this was thought to be theoretical concept, we showed that all stages of the operation can currently be accomplished."
The Scottish institution is the global training center of the global medical association, and is the sole location in the United Kingdom where surgeons can treat cadavers with biological fluid circulated in the vessels to mimic treatment on a actual patient.
"This was the first time that we could conduct the complete clot removal operation in a real human body to show that all steps of the procedure are possible," explained Prof Grunwald.
A charity executive, the chief executive of a medical organization, called the transatlantic procedure as "a significant breakthrough".
"For too long, individuals from isolated regions have been limited in obtaining to thrombectomy," she added.
"Such technological systems could correct the imbalance which persists in stroke treatment nationwide."
What is the operational process?
An ischaemic stroke occurs when an blood vessel is obstructed by a blockage.
This disrupts circulation and oxygenation to the neural matter, and neurons lose function and expire.
The best treatment is a clot removal, where a specialist uses catheters and wires to remove the clot.
But what happens when a individual is unable to reach a expert who can do the procedure?
Prof Grunwald said the experiment demonstrated a mechanical device could be connected to the equivalent surgical tools a specialist would normally use, and a medic who is attending the case could easily connect the instruments.
The surgeon, in a separate site, could then hold and move their own wires, and the mechanical device then performs comparable motions in live timing on the patient to carry out the clot removal.
The patient would be in a medical facility, while the surgeon could perform the surgery via the advanced machine from any place - even their own home.
Prof Grunwald and the neurosurgeon could see live X-rays of the specimen in the experiments, and track developments in live conditions, with the lead researcher explaining it took only 20 minutes of preparation.
Technology companies Nvidia and Ericsson were involved in the research to ensure the communication link of the mechanical device.
"To perform surgery from the US to the Scottish nation with a minimal delay - a moment - is absolutely amazing," stated the neurosurgeon.
Advancements in brain care
The medical expert, who has received recognition for her research and is also the executive member of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, stated there were key issues with a conventional clot removal - a global shortage of surgeons who can perform it, and treatment depends on your location.
In Scotland, there are only three places people can access the surgery - three major cities. If you reside elsewhere, you must journey.
"The treatment is extremely time-critical," explained Prof Grunwald.
"Each six-minute postponement, you have a 1% less chance of having a successful recovery.
"This technology would now deliver a novel approach where you're independent of where you dwell - saving the precious time where your neural tissue is degenerating."
Medical statistics revealed there were {9,625 ischaemic strokes|numerous cerebral events|