Telementoring and Telerobotics in Urological Surgery

Telementoring and Telerobotics in Urological Surgery

“…The original 1927 Traeger pedal-driven radio receiver at the Royal Flying Doctor Service Station in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia (Challacombe B. et al, 2010). …”

“…Minimally invasive surgeries, when performed by experienced surgeons, are favorable for the patients themselves, the hospital and the operating surgeons, with regard to length of hospital stay, return to full activity, and improved cosmetic results [Challacombe B, 2010]. ; Also, they are often more cost-effective than open procedures.…”

Video Communication in Telemedicine

“…The level of interaction from the mentor can be as simple as verbal guidance while watching a transmitted real-time video of the operation (Challacombe, 2010). Surgery is, most of all, a visual specialty.…”

“…Order was decided randomly except for a subgroup of 30 Trans-Atlantic robotic procedures that were controlled by a team at Johns Hopkins via four ISDN lines. The robot was slower than the human but was more accurate both locally and remotely compared with human operators, as it needed less attempts for successful needle insertions (Challacombe et al, 2010). The possibility of true telesurgery arrived in the late 1990s with the introduction of the da Vinci and Zeus master-slave robotic systems.…”

“…The surgeon and computer console can be positioned at the remote site. The surgeon acts as the »master« and the robot as the »slave« (Challacombe et al, 2010). In 2005, Colonel Noah Schenkman of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center performed live telesurgery (nephrectomy on two pigs) at the American Telemedicine Association, Washington, DC.…”