Robotically Assisted Recipient Site Preparation in Hair Restoration Surgery: Surgical Safety and Clinical Outcomes in 31 Consecutive Patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND Recent advances in robotic surgery have extended to hair restoration surgery, using a robotic recipient site creation device. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the surgical safety and postoperative clinical outcomes of using this robotic system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-one men diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia, who underwent hair transplantation with robotic recipient site creation, were retrospectively reviewed. Their mean age was 38.7 ± 9.5 (range, 22‒67) years. RESULTS The total number of robotically created recipient sites was 36,273. The average site creation speed was 1,593 ± 544 sites per hour. Postoperative crusting (54.8%) was the most frequent complication in the recipient area, followed by pruritus (12.9%), asymmetry (6.5%), and folliculitis (6.5%). The mean score of cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction, scored on a 5-point scale, was 4.10 ± 0.54 and 4.13 ± 0.85, respectively. No significant differences in cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction were found between 3 operators. CONCLUSION The current device can automatically make slit incisions in the recipient area with speed and consistency noninferior to manual site creation. It is both safe and reliable for clinical use, and it is also easily managed by different hair surgeons without a long learning curve.

Hair Transplantation in the United States: A Population-based Survey of Female and Male Pattern Baldness

“…33 Kanayama et al evaluated the performance of a robotic recipient site creation device in 31 patients and found the robotic tool to be safe and reliable for clinical use, as well as easily manageable by different HT surgeons. 34 A 2015 Korean study reported similar outcomes in 22 HT patients. The authors outlined the benefits of such devices in overcoming the increasing human error rate when performing repetitive tasks.…”

Past, present, and future of global research on artificial intelligence applications in dermatology: A bibliometric analysis

“…Furthermore, it can easily be controlled by a diverse range of hair surgeons. [ 18 ] Cluster 5 emphasized skin disease classification via image analysis. Several studies have analyzed clinical and dermatopathological images to categorize skin lesions associated with various skin conditions such as basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, atopic dermatitis, onychomycosis, and rosacea.…”

“…[16] An automated robotic hair restoration device was introduced for clinical application in 2011, and its use has gained momentum worldwide as an alternative to manual follicular unit extraction. [17][18][19] Additionally, AI systems can provide outcome predictions and prognostic assessments for dermatological diseases. [20,21] Yeong et al [22] developed an artificial neural network-based algorithm to predict when a burn would heal, with an overall prediction accuracy of 86%.…”

Exploring New Horizons: Surgical Robots Supported by Artificial Intelligence

“…It is safe to use on men with dark, straight hair, according to the FDA. With the use of an artificial intelligence algorithm and a high-definition stereoscopic vision system, the system can recognize and choose the ideal hair follicles for transplantation [15]. Fig.…”