Background Basic telesurgical manoeuvres were conducted with signal delays.

Abstract. The paper is concerned with determining the feasibility of performing telesurgery over long communication links. It describes an experimental testbed for telesurgery that is currently available in our laboratory. The tesbed is capable of supporting both wired and satellite connections as well as simulated network environments. The feasibility of performing telesurgery over a satellite link with approximately 600 ms delay is shown through a number of dry and wet lab experiments. Quantative results of these experiments are also discussed.

The completion of complex tasks such as robotic pyeloplasty is feasible using both land-line and satellite telesurgery. However, the clinical relevance of telesurgery requires further assessment.

Satellite communication is a viable telesurgical modality. Satellite bandwidth should be above 5 Mb/s during telesurgery if used primarily or as back-up.