MAASTRICHT, 2 October 2017 – Plastic surgeons at Maastricht UMC+ have used a robotic device to surgically treat lymphedema in a patient. This is the world’s first super-microsurgical intervention with ‘robot hands’. The surgeons used the robotic device to suture vessels of 0.3 to 0.8 millimeter in the arm of the patient. The robotic device, created by Eindhoven company Microsure, enhances the surgeon’s precision, making this type of procedure easier to perform. The patient is doing well and the surgeons are enthusiastic. The news of this extraordinary operation has been announced on 27 September, at the 26th World Congress of Lymphology, in Barcelona.
Lymphedema, a chronic condition in which fluid builds up and causes swelling, is a serious disorder. It commonly occurs as a side effect of breast cancer treatment. A relatively new and potentially much better treatment for lymphedema is a super-microsurgery in which lymphatic vessels are connected to blood vessels to restore the flow of lymphatic fluid and alleviate the swelling. This intervention is, however, particularly difficult and stressful to perform given the extreme precision required from the surgeon. Worldwide, only a few surgeons are capable of carrying out this surgical technique by hand.
Microsure
Surgeons in Maastricht found the solution in Eindhoven. The surgical robot of Microsure, a spin-off of Eindhoven University of Technology and Maastricht UMC+, is controlled by a surgeon whose hand movements are converted into smaller, more precise movements which then are performed on the patient by a set of ‘robot hands’. The device also stabilizes any tremor in the surgeon’s movements, which makes the procedure more controlled and thus easier to perform. The Microsure robot is expected to enhance a large number of microsurgical procedures and enable new interventions that are currently impossible to perform by hand. This will lead to better patient outcome and lower healthcare costs due to a reduced rate of complication and less post-operative treatment.
Better result
Shan Shan Qiu Shoa, plastic surgeon at Maastricht UMC+: “Microsure enables us to be very precise in our movements during procedures that need a surgical microscope. Their robot allows us to operate on minuscule lymph vessels and blood vessels with more ease, while getting better results for these complex and fatiguing interventions. Besides it is very convenient that, within microsurgery, we can operate on vessels of every size with this robot. Most importantly, of course, this is good news for the patients concerned.”
“We are very pleased and proud that the first intervention using our robot has been a success, and that the surgeons are enthusiastic,” says Raimondo Cau, the technical brain of Microsure. “This proves that our technology is a key breakthrough in improving surgical care. As a next step, we aim to assist surgeons during other types of complex microsurgical procedures like tissue reconstructions after removal of a tumor. Using our device they will be able to perform surgery with better precision and fewer complications.”
Maastricht UMC+
Maastricht University Medical Center+ is known both nationally and internationally for its focus on prevention. In other words, it goes beyond recovery alone to help people maintain and actively improve their health. In addition to top-level clinical diagnostics and top referral patient care, its core tasks are medical research and training, areas in which it is well known for its multidisciplinary and problem-based approach. Maastricht UMC+ has 715 beds, approximately 7000 staff and 4000 students. It is a member of the Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres (see also http://www.nfu.nl). For more information, visit www.mumc.nl, www.mumc.tv, www.maastrichthealthcampus.nl, and www.maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Health Foundation Limburg is the foundation that acquires funds for the scientific research of Maastricht UMC+: www.hfl.nl
Microsure
Microsure B.V. is a medical robotics company focused on micro surgery. The company develops, builds and commercializes innovative robotic solutions that offers surgeons super human precision. Microsure is a spin-off of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and is initiated by a collaboration of TU/e with Maastricht UMC+ combining the medical knowledge from Maastricht UMC+ with the high-tech precision mechatronics capabilities of the region Brainport Eindhoven. www.microsure.nl
Microsure is the second spin off from TU/e and the activities of the Medical Robotic Technology company. The first one was Preceyes for eye surgery. See here the human trial results.
Steinbuch 