Robotic ultrasound and ultrasonic robot

Abstract

The application of robots in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases is gradually increasing every year. Among them, the number of surgeries performed using the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System is growing at 15% per year, which is not due to the increase in the total number of surgeries performed worldwide, but due to the fact that some conventional surgical procedures have turned to robotic surgery, indicating that the da Vinci robot has its own attractiveness. The da Vinci Robotic Surgical System is an advanced robotic platform designed to perform complex surgical procedures through a minimally invasive approach. Simply put, It is an advanced laparoscopic system. It increases the angle of view, reduces hand tremor and allows surgical procedures to be performed on target organs at different angles due to its “EndoWrist” instrument that is more flexible than the laparoscope. It is smaller than the human hand and can perform surgeries in narrow spaces. The da Vinci surgical robot enables surgeons to perform surgeries in a relaxed work environment, thus reducing fatigue and allowing surgeons to focus better. Moreover, it also reduces the number of participating surgeons.[12345] Meanwhile, the application of robots in the diagnosis of diseases has also been reported in previous studies. The da Vinci surgical robot improves the surgical accuracy by increasing the surgical resolution. Similarly, the diagnostic robot also improves the objectivity and accuracy of diagnosis by avoiding interference due to subjective factors. Ultrasonography offers many advantages for medical imaging; however, a lack of trained sonographers in remote communities limits access to sonography for many patients. As a result, many patients have to travel, or be transported, to secondary and tertiary care centers, which often delay diagnosis and subsequent treatment, burden patients and their families, and increase costs. The study conducted by Adams et al.[6] who used a telerobotic ultrasound system (BK Ultrasound) for adult abdominal sonography showed that 92% of organs visualized on conventional examinations were sufficiently visualized on telerobotic examinations. Five pathological findings were identified on both telerobotic and conventional examinations: three findings were identified using only conventional sonography and two findings were identified using only telerobotic sonography. There is no significant difference between the two modalities in measurements of the liver, spleen, and diameter of the proximal aorta; however, telerobotic assessments overestimated the distal aorta, common bile duct diameters and underestimated kidney lengths (P < 0.05). Robotic enucleations can also be performed through a 12-5 MHz robotic probe (BK Drop-In 8826). In the study of Gunelli et al.,[7] 22 robotic enucleations on <3 cm renal tumor were performed through a robotic probe. Once the kidney had been isolated from the adipose capsule at the site of the neoplasia, the exact position of the lesion could be easily identified. No complications due to the use of the ultrasound probe were observed. EUS is a combination of endoscopy and ultrasonography. It was initially used in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal submucosal tumor, gastrointestinal tumor, and pancreaticobiliary disease. In recent years, EUS is increasingly used in the preoperative precision diagnosis and treatment alongside the continuous upgrading of endoscopic instruments. Its importance is self-evident as preoperative precision diagnosis and pathological evaluation often provide clinical guidance to physicians in developing a reasonable treatment regimen. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for mediastinal, abdominal, and pancreatic lesions allows minimally invasive preoperative pathological diagnoses, but it poses certain difficulties as the material quality and incidence rates of complications, such as hemorrhage and infections, are affected by the experience and proficiency of endoscopists. Different tissue