Quantitative assessment of manual and robotic microcannulation for eye surgery using new eye model

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Microcannulation, a surgical procedure for the eye that requires drug injection into a 60-90 µm retinal vein, is difficult to perform manually. Robotic assistance has been proposed; however, its effectiveness in comparison to manual operation has not been quantified. METHODS: An eye model has been developed to quantify the performance of manual and robotic microcannulation. The eye model, which is implemented with a force sensor and microchannels, also simulates the mechanical constraints of the instrument's movement. Ten subjects performed microcannulation using the model, with and without robotic assistance. RESULTS: The results showed that the robotic assistance was useful for motion stability when the drug was injected, whereas its positioning accuracy offered no advantage. CONCLUSIONS: An eye model was used to quantitatively assess the robotic microcannulation performance in comparison to manual operation. This approach could be valid for a better evaluation of surgical robotic assistance.