Shanghai Operation Robot Co.,Ltd announced the results of its initial clinical trial of ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) robot in biliary stent placement surgery. It is the first Robot-assisted human clinical trial of biliary stent placement surgery in the world. The surgery was conducted by Aopeng Medical.
The operation was performed by the team of Professor and Dr. Xiaofeng Zhang, vice president of Hangzhou First People’s Hospital and director of the Center for Digestive Endoscopy. Dr. Zhang operated the robot outside the operating room (without wearing heavy lead), advanced the guidewire and balloon catheter in a precisely controlled manner and successfully completed the entire surgical procedure including the nipple cutter action, balloon stone removal, and accurate placement of bile duct stents.
Also Read: Avirmax CMC Received License for cGMP Gene Therapy Vector Production by the California Department
Dr. Zhang highly values the precision performance of the ERCP robot from Shanghai Operation Robot, and the benefit for physicians in reducing radiation exposure during the surgery. This surgery was live-streamed at the meeting of the 15th Hangzhou International Symposium on Diagnosis and Treatment of Biliary and Pancreatic Diseases. Many experts in the audience watched the whole procedure and considered it a great success for robot-assisted ERCP surgery.
This trial verified the application of surgical robots in the field of natural orifice ERCP surgery and opened a new era of robotic surgery.
ERCP surgery is carried out under X-rays, so the physicians need to wear a 30-pound protective lead apron. They are suffering health risks from long-term radiation exposure and heavy lead weight. In addition, the variable orientation and opening position of the duodenal papilla requires a high level of guide wire operation and the doctors’ cooperation with the assistant. Therefore, the training of a qualified ERCP doctor and an excellent ERCP team requires the accumulation of operating time and experience. These can be easily resolved by surgical robots. In robot-assisted ERCP surgery, the physician can perform the operation remotely behind the wall, away from X-ray exposure. Furthermore, the natural stability, accuracy, and flexibility of robots can effectively reduce the learning curve of ERCP surgery and bring a better outcome to patients.