• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.248-251
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• 2011

Objective : In the field of spinal surgery, a few laboratory results or clinical cases about robotic spinal surgery have been reported. In vivo trials and development of related surgical instruments for spinal surgery are required before its clinical application. We investigated the use of the da $Vinci^{(R)}$ Surgical System in spinal surgery at the craniovertebral junction in a human cadaver to demonstrate the efficacy and pitfalls of robotic surgery. Methods : Dissection of pharyngeal wall to the exposure of C1 and odontoid process was performed with full robotic procedure. Although assistance of another surgeon was necessary for drilling and removal of odontoid process due to the lack of appropriate end-effectors, successful robotic procedures for dural sutures and exposing spinal cord proved its safety and dexterity. Results : Robot-assisted odontoidectomy was successfully performed in a human cadaver using the da $Vinci^{(R)}$ Surgical System with few robotic arm collisions and minimal soft tissue damages. Da $Vinci^{(R)}$ Surgical System manifested more dexterous movement than human hands in the deep and narrow oral cavity. Furthermore, sutures with robotic procedure in the oral cavity demonstrated the advantage over conventional procedure. Conclusion : Presenting cadaveric study proved the probability of robot-assisted transoral approach. However, the development of robotic instruments specific to spinal surgery must first precede its clinical application.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.270-277
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• 2015

Purpose: Minimally invasive gastrectomy (MIG), including laparoscopic distal subtotal gastrectomy (LDG) and robotic distal subtotal gastrectomy (RDG), is performed for gastric cancer, and requires a learning period. However, there are few reports regarding MIG by a beginner surgeon trained in MIG for gastric cancer during surgical residency and fellowship. The aim of this study was to report our initial experience with MIG, LDG, and RDG by a trained beginner surgeon. Materials and Methods: Between January 2014 and February 2015, a total of 36 patients (20 LDGs and 16 RDGs) underwent MIG by a beginner surgeon during the learning period, and 13 underwent open distal subtotal gastrectomy (ODG) by an experienced surgeon in Bundang CHA Medical Center. Demographic characteristics, operative findings, and short-term outcomes were evaluated for the groups. Results: MIG was safely performed without open conversion in all patients and there was no mortality in either group. There was no significant difference between the groups in demographic factors except for body mass index. There were significant differences in extent of lymph node dissection (LND) (D2 LND: ODG 8.3% vs. MIG 55.6%, P=0.004) and mean operative time (ODG 178.8 minutes vs. MIG 254.7 minutes, P<0.001). The serial changes in postoperative hemoglobin level (P=0.464) and white blood cell count (P=0.644) did not show significant differences between the groups. There were no significant differences in morbidity. Conclusions: This study showed that the operative and short-term outcomes of MIG for gastric cancer by a trained beginner surgeon were comparable with those of ODG performed by an experienced surgeon.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1220-1226
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• 2012

This paper proposes a novel type of tactile device utilizing magnetorheological(MR) fluid which can be applicable for haptic master of minimally invasive surgery(MIS) robotic system. The salient feature of the controllability of rheological properties by the intensity of the magnetic field(or current) makes this potential candidate of the tactile device. As a first step, an appropriate size of the tactile device is designed and manufactured via magnetic analysis. Secondly, in order to determine proper input magnetic field the repulsive forces of the real body parts such as hand and neck are measured. Subsequently, the repulsive forces of the tactile device are measured by dividing 5 areas. The final step of this work is to obtain desired force in real implementation. Thus, in order to demonstrate this goal a neuro-fuzzy logic is applied to get the desired repulsive force and the error between the desired and actual force is evaluated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2012.10a
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• pp.415-420
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• 2012

This paper proposes a novel type of tactile device utilizing magnetorheological (MR) fluid which can be applicable for haptic master of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) robotic system. The salient feature of the controllability of rheological properties by the intensity of the magnetic field (or current) makes this potential candidate of the tactile device. As a first step, an appropriate size of the tactile device is designed and manufactured via magnetic analysis. Secondly, in order to determine proper input magnetic field the repulsive forces of the real body parts such as hand and neck are measured. Subsequently, the repulsive forces of the tactile device are measured by dividing 5 areas. The final step of this work is to obtain desired force in real implementation. Thus, in order to demonstrate this goal a neuro-fuzzy logic is applied to get the desired repulsive force and the error between the desired and actual force is evaluated.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5359-5364
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• 2014

Background: To determine surgical outcomes, perioperative complications, and patient outcomes in gynecologic cancer patients undergoing robotic surgery. Materials and Methods: Surgical outcomes, including docking time, total operative time, console time, estimated blood loss (EBL), conversion rate and perioperative complications were retrospectively reviewed in 30 gynecologic cancer patients undergoing robotic surgery. Patient outcomes included recovery time and patient satisfaction, as scored by a visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0-10. Results: The operations included 24 hysterectomies with pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLD) and/or para-aortic lymphadenectomy, four radical hysterectomies with PLD, and two radical trachelectomies with PLD. Mean docking time was $12.8{\pm}9.7min$, total operative time was $345.5{\pm}85.0min$, and console time was $281.9{\pm}78.6min$. These times were decreased in the second half of the cases. There was no conversion rate. Three intraoperative complications, including one external iliac artery injury, one bladder injury, and one massive bleeding requiring blood transfusion were reported. Postoperative complications occurred in eight patients, most were minor. Only one patient had port herniation that required reoperation. Mean hospital stay was $3.5{\pm}1.7days$, and recovery time was $14.2{\pm}8.1days$. Two-thirds of patients felt very satisfied and one-third felt satisfied; the mean satisfaction score was 9.4 +0.9. Two patients with stage III endometrial cancer developed isolated port site metastasis at five and 13 months postoperatively. Conclusions: Robotic surgery for gynecologic cancer appears to be feasible, with acceptable perioperative complication rate, fast recovery time and high patient satisfaction.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.431-441
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• 2020

Purpose: Various studies have indicated that reduced-port robotic gastrectomies are safe and feasible for treating patients with early gastric cancer. However, there have not been any comparative studies conducted that have evaluated patients with clinically advanced gastric cancer. Therefore, we aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes of D2 lymph node dissections during reduced-port robotic distal subtotal gastrectomies (RRDGs) and conventional 5-port laparoscopic distal subtotal gastrectomies (CLDGs). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 118 patients with clinically advanced gastric cancer who underwent minimally invasive distal subtotal gastrectomies with D2 lymph node dissections between February 2016 and November 2019. To evaluate the patient data, we performed a 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) according to age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification score, and clinical T status. The short-term surgical outcomes were also compared between the two groups. Results: The PSM identified 40 pairs of patients who underwent RRDG or CLDG. The RRDG group experienced a significantly longer operation time than the CLDG group (P<0.001), although the RRDG group had significantly less estimated blood loss (P=0.034). The number of retrieved extraperigastric lymph nodes in the RRDG group was significantly higher than that of the CLDG group (P=0.008). The rate of postoperative complications was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.115). Conclusions: D2 lymph node dissections can be safely performed during RRDGs and the perioperative outcomes appear to be comparable to those of conventional laparoscopic surgeries. Further studies are needed to compare long-term survival outcomes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.423-429
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• 2008

Background: The interest in robotic cardiac surgery has recently grown but there has not been much clinical research reported on this. The aim of this study is to examine our initial experience, since August 2007, with robotic cardiac surgery using the da $Vince^{TM}$ surgical system and to evaluate the feasibility and safety of it. Material and Method: Between August and December 2007, a total of 20 patients underwent robotic cardiac surgery using the da Vinci surgical system. For mitral valve repair (n=11), tricuspid valve repair (n=1), and ASD repair (n=1), cannulation, antegrade cardioplegia and transthoracic aortic cross-clamping were conducted for the right femoral vessels and the right internal jugular vein. For minimally invasive direct CABG (MIDCAB) (n=7), the internal thoracic artery (ITA) was harvested with the da Vinci surgical system. Result: The mean age of the patients was 50.1 (range: $26{\sim}78$) years. Three concomitant Maze procedures and one tricuspid annuloplasty were combined with mitral valve repair. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was $208.0{\pm}61.3$ minutes and the aortic cross clamp time was $158.8{\pm}40.6$ minutes. No patients showed more than mild mitral regurgitation after repair and the median hospital stay was 4 days. The robotic-harvested ITA was used for either left ITA (n=6) or bilateral ITA (n=1). The mean harvest time was $43.2{\pm}12.0$ minutes. The harvested ITA showed good flow and it was anastomosed under direct vision after left anterolateral thoracotomy. The patency of all the grafts was 100% (18/18) in MIDCAB. Conclusion: Robotic cardiac surgery using the da Vinci surgical system was variously adapted to areas such as mitral and tricuspid valve repair, ASD repair and ITA harvest for MIDCAB. The early results of the robotic cardiac surgery showed its safety and feasibility. With this primary report, we anticipate that clinical applications and further studies on robotic cardiac surgery using the da Vinci surgical system will be actively conducted in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.60-72
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• 2024

Objective : Recently, robotic-assisted spine surgery (RASS) has been considered a minimally invasive and relatively accurate method. In total, 495 robotic-assisted pedicle screw fixation (RAPSF) procedures were attempted on 100 patients during a 14-month period. The current study aimed to analyze the accuracy, potential risk factors, and learning curve of RAPSF. Methods : This retrospective study evaluated the position of RAPSF using the Gertzbein and Robbins scale (GRS). The accuracy was analyzed using the ratio of the clinically acceptable group (GRS grades A and B), the dissatisfying group (GRS grades C, D, and E), and the Surgical Evaluation Assistant program. The RAPSF was divided into the no-breached group (GRS grade A) and breached group (GRS grades B, C, D, and E), and the potential risk factors of RAPSF were evaluated. The learning curve was analyzed by changes in robot-used time per screw and the occurrence tendency of breached and failed screws according to case accumulation. Results : The clinically acceptable group in RAPSF was 98.12%. In the analysis using the Surgical Evaluation Assistant program, the tip offset was 2.37±1.89 mm, the tail offset was 3.09±1.90 mm, and the angular offset was 3.72°±2.72°. In the analysis of potential risk factors, the difference in screw fixation level (p=0.009) and segmental distance between the tracker and the instrumented level (p=0.001) between the no-breached and breached group were statistically significant, but not for the other factors. The mean difference between the no-breach and breach groups was statistically significant in terms of pedicle width (p<0.001) and tail offset (p=0.042). In the learning curve analysis, the occurrence of breached and failed screws and the robot-used time per screw screws showed a significant decreasing trend. Conclusion : In the current study, RAPSF was highly accurate and the specific potential risk factors were not identified. However, pedicle width was presumed to be related to breached screw. Meanwhile, the robot-used time per screw and the incidence of breached and failed screws decreased with the learning curve.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2022

Background: Robot-assisted repair of atrial septal defect (ASD) can be performed under either beating-heart or non-beating-heart conditions. However, the risk of cerebral air embolism (i.e., stroke) is a concern in the beating-heart approach. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of beating- and non-beating-heart approaches in robot-assisted ASD repair. Methods: From 2010 to 2019, a total of 45 patients (mean age, 43.4±14.6 years; range, 19-79 years) underwent ASD repair using the da Vinci robotic surgical system. Twenty-seven of these cases were performed on a beating heart (beating-heart group, n=27) and the other cases were performed on an arrested or fibrillating heart (non-beating-heart group, n=18). Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was achieved via cannulation of the femoral vessels and the right internal jugular vein in all patients. Results: Complete ASD closure was verified using intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in all patients. Conversion to open surgery was not performed in any cases, and there were no major complications. All patients recovered from anesthesia without any immediate postoperative neurologic symptoms. In a subgroup analysis of isolated ASD patch repair (beating-heart group: n=22 vs. non-beating-heart group: n=5), the operation time and CPB time were shorter in the beating-heart group (234±38 vs. 253±29 minutes, p=0.133 and 113±28 vs. 143±29 minutes, p=0.034, respectively). Conclusion: Robot-assisted ASD repair can be safely performed with the beating-heart approach. No additional risk in terms of cerebral embolism was found in the beating-heart group.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.264-267
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• 2008

The da Vinci telemanipulator system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA USA) is the most advanced robotic surgical system and has been increasingly used for cardiac surgical procedures. We report out first clinical experience of use of the da Vinci telemanipulator system for endoscopic harvesting of the bilateral thoracic artery andmulti-vessel small thoracotomy off pump CABG for 3-vessel disease. The da Vinci telemanipulator system has been previously utilized primarily for mitral valve surgery.