CANCUN, MEXICO (UroToday.com) - Coverage of the 25th Annual World Congress of Endourology and SWL - Cancun, Mexico - Thursday November 1, 2007

Using a robotic platform (Hansen Medical, Mountain View, CA) the authors were able to guide a flexible ureteroscope throughout the collecting system in five pigs. They were able to pass the tip of the endoscope into 98% of calyces; two lower pole calyces had an infundibulum that was too small to allow passage of the tip of the ureteroscope. They were also able to use a Holmium laser fiber through the endoscope to destroy calculi. Benefits of the robotic platform included the stability of the system, easier controlled access to the calyceal system, and the ability to distance the surgeon from any ionizing radiation while providing a very ergonomically favorable work environment for the surgeon.

The authors noted that since their original porcine studies, they have successfully employed this technology in 18 patients. One can anticipate that platforms of a similar nature will likely be applied for percutaneous stone surgery as well as for image guided needle ablation of renal masses. The age of robotic surgery is upon us and ever expanding.

Session: Novel Technology
Moderators: Ralph Clayman (USA), Mihir Desai (USA)
Monish Aron, Mihir Desai, Georges-Pascal Haber, Inderbir S Gill

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Written by Ralph V. Clayman, MD, a Contributing Editor with UroToday.

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