| Robotic and Navigational Technologies in Endovascular Surgery |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
‘Endovascular treatment of arterial disease has been a revolution for clinicians and patients alike, allowing treatment of aortic and peripheral pathologies percutaneously or through small incisions, reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with open surgical treatment of vascular disease. Moreover, it has allowed the treatment of patients whose respiratory and cardiovascular co-morbidities would have rendered them too high risk for open surgery.
Within the vascular tree, a potential role for robotic technology is to overcome some of the current limitations of conventional endovascular catheters. The advantages of robotic procedures are decreased total procedure time, decreased fluoroscopy time, and reduction in the volume of contrast agent required, with improved safety for patients and clinicians. Enhanced catheter stability for the introduction of stents, guidewires and other endovascular tools may reduce the need for multiple cannulation attempts and, consequently, the risk of damage to the target vessel. Fenestrated (Endovascular aneurysm repair) EVAR, which is currently a complex and time-consuming procedure, may be simplified by this robotic technology, allowing us to treat a greater number of patients via a totally endovascular approach.
Other potential applications of such a platform include use in carotid intervention and the treatment of complex peripheral arterial disease: the enhanced stability and maneuverability of a robotic catheter could improve the outcome of endovascular treatment of complex lower-limb occlusive disease and could reduce the risk of cerebral embolization during cannulation and stenting of the internal carotid artery.
Technological advances have allowed the endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms to become widespread, offering a safer alternative to open surgery and allowing intervention for patients who would otherwise have been deemed inoperable. Many patients, however, are not suitable for endovascular intervention. We anticipate that robotic technology, assisted by navigation techniques, will simplify endovascular tasks and increase the applicability of minimally invasive technology to a greater patient population. |
|
|
|
|