Telesurgery. Remote monitoring and assistance during laparoscopy

Abstract

In comparison to open surgery, laparoscopy results in less postoperative pain, shorter hospitalization, more rapid return to the work force, a better cosmetic result, and a lower incidence of postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions. These advantages are indisputable when comparing large series for cholecystectomy and smaller series for pelvic lymph node dissection, nephrectomy, and bladder neck suspension in experienced hands. Urologists have an obligation to explore the application of these methods to urologic disease and to adjust the standard of care accordingly. Several barriers to the expansion of urologic laparoscopic surgery exist. The experience in extirpative and reconstructive urologic procedures is limited when compared with the data on cholecystectomy. These procedures are technically complex and demand advanced laparoscopic skills and familiarity with laparoscopic anatomy. The steep learning curve translates into long operative times and an unacceptably high rate of complications for inexperienced laparoscopic surgeons. Most practicing urologists have no formal training in advanced laparoscopy, and no formal credentialing guidelines exist. Telesurgical technology may provide one solution to this problem. Through telesurgical mentoring, less experienced surgeons with basic laparoscopic skills could receive training in advanced techniques from a world expert without the need for travel. These systems could also be used to proctor laparoscopic cases for credentialing purposes and to provide a more uniform standard of care. This review has outlined some of the exciting progress made in the field of telesurgery over the past 10 years and described some of the technical and legal obstacles that remain to be surmounted. During the 1990s, urologists were at the forefront of innovation in remote telepresence surgery. As the scope of minimally invasive urologic surgery expands during the first few decades of the twenty-first century, telesurgical mentoring should have an increasingly important role.