Teleoperation of Concentric Tube Robots for Skull Base Applications: Pituitary Surgery at a Distance?

摘要: Methods: The sella of a plastic skull model was modified to include a 15 mm pituitary tumor. The lesion was represented with ballistics gel mixed to a consistency similar to that of a pituitary tumor, placed in the sella, and covered with a piece of plastic from inside the skull to represent the diaphragm. The robot was fitted with a small curette as well as an endoscope fixed at the face of the sella. The remote location, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, is approximately 800km away from Nashville, Tennessee, United States, where the surgeon was located. Visual and auditory feedback were provided by a Skype video connection. Well-established metrics for the quality of a teleoperation link, including latency and packet interarrival time (IAT) were measured.Results: Phantom resection experiments were performed at both locations without difficulty. The internet video stream and robot command instructions were …