Surgical Robot Removes Calgary Woman's Brain Tumor

Raver32 points out an article in the Victoria Times Colonist about an interesting advance in robotic surgery: "Calgary doctors have made surgical history, using a robot to remove a brain tumor from a 21-year-old woman. Doctors used remote controls and an imaging screen, similar to a video game, to guide the two-armed robot through Paige Nickason's brain during the nine-hour surgery Monday. Surgical instruments acting as the hands of the robot — called NeuroArm — provided surgeons with the tools needed to successfully remove the egg-shaped tumor."

This wasn't there first attempt...

[by Anonymous Coward]

Let's just say the zombie brain surgeon didn't work out as well.

Re:

[fractoid (1076465)]

I hear they've had ninjas doing it for years but you never see it in the news because... they're ninjas. Duh.

Regardless, it's not a robot, it's a remote controlled McStabbyThing with a camera on it. Still cool though.

Re:This wasn't there first attempt...

[by Anonymous Coward]

My RSS feed in Firefox only goes as far as 'Surgical Robot Removes Calgary Woman's Brain'. I thought the revolution had come.

More Info.

[Overkill Nbuta (1035654)]

You can find some more info on this at.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/may2008/neuroArm [ucalgary.ca]
I think it will be interesting if a doctor can have less fatigue and sit in a chair and do operations more quickly and more precisely with this.

I understand that there are some operations where you would want the doctor to be on site to help with complications. But some of them like removing a brain tumor where its a procedure that you just need to cut something out it might be able to help the limited supply of doctors in the world be better utilized.

Re:More Info.

[LordVader717 (888547)]

They've got a website [neuroarm.org] for the Neuroarm complete with video clip and pics.

Easy. Just cutting something out...of the brain.

[by Anonymous Coward]

But some of them like removing a brain tumor where its a procedure that you just need to cut something out...

Yeah, it's not brain surgery. I mean.. it's not rocket science.

Re:

[by Anonymous Coward]

I can't believe someone referring to BRAIN SURGERY as "a procedure that you just need to cut something out." And also stating that there are "some operations where you would want the doctor to be one site to help with complications" but acting like that would NOT be the case with a brain surgery!!! I just had brain surgery in March. It was VERY complicated and could have been fatal. There is NO WAY I would have allowed a robot to perform it. If that was the only case, I would expect the SAME amount of

Re:

[mikael (484)]

Researchers did a study on primitive surgical techniques. They found out that the caves used for these operations were as far back as possible, meaning that the air was dry and had no dust. Also, whenever a flintstone was used as a cutting instrument, a brand new stone was split, so there was no bacteria on the surfaces of the stone.

Ancient Brain Surgery [scientificblogging.com]

I need trepanning like a hole in the head.

More to the point...

[jd (1658)]

...there may be some categories of "inoperable" brain tumours that are inoperable because humans have too low a level of precision. Such tumours would be removable by such a method. There have been many advances in tele-surgery since early work in the early 1990s (Surgeons in Russia operated on patients in America, for example) but this is definitely a lot further forward than might have been expected from the pioneering efforts.

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[ceoyoyo (59147)]

That's one of the ideas. When I was involved with the project the robot was also designed to be MRI compatible, so it could do image guided biopsies in the bore of the magnet. Calgary is also the site of the first 1.5T mobile intraoperative MRI (developed by this same surgeon). It can also scale down a surgeon's movements and cancel out any tremor.

They've also proposed to develop molecular probes that the robot can use to chemically feel out which tissue is likely to be tumor and which is not.

Re:More Info.

[August_zero (654282)]

I have done a surgical rotation at a facility that uses a DaVinci robot to conduct some of its gynecological/urological procedures. The surgeon still has to work at it, and for those not familiar with the system, the surgeries can take 3 times longer and are more arduous than doing it the old fashioned way. In the hands of a practiced surgeon though, it's really a sight to behold in action, almost like a giant metal spider clipping and cutting.

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[Hotawa Hawk-eye (976755)]

Also keep in mind that the doctor can simulate the surgery using the patient's own data and use that simulation to program the robot to perform the operation ahead of time. If the program fails the simulation, the doctor can tweak the program until it performs exactly as he or she wants. At that point, the doctor's responsibility during the actual operation is to monitor the program to make sure it's performing exactly as it did during the simulation and that nothing goes wrong. Even if something does go

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[ceoyoyo (59147)]

You're right about less fatigue, but not more quickly. The robot lets the surgeon scale down his movements to operate more finely though, so there is a payoff.

did they tell her?

[electrosoccertux (874415)]

I wonder if they tell you before you go in that they won't be doing it by hand themselves...

At the end of the day, hopefully this means cheap healthcare.

Re:did they tell her?

[peipas (809350)]

I dig. If I accidentally bought a bottle of wine whose grapes were mechanically squeezed I'd still rather assume a half dozen feet did the job.

Re:did they tell her?

[sodul (833177)]

I remember a video on the french news (maybe 15 years ago) about wine making: there was a guy *totally* naked (it's french TV it was not censored) jumping into the grapes to squeeze them. I don't know if the idea was to not get his underwear stained or if the 'all natural' method.

Needless to say I'm a beer drinker (belgian beers).

Re:

[Beryllium Sphere(tm) (193358)]

Believe so, at least that's the most economical interpretation of

"It was scary at first," said Nickason of the idea of being operated on by a robot.

"But I really trust my doctors and know they would keep me safe."

from the article.

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[value_added (719364)]

At the end of the day, hopefully this means cheap healthcare.

Do you mean "have the effect of lowering healthcare costs in Canada", or "the use of robots will make the concept of universal healthcare appealing to citizens of the United States and South Africa"?

Sorry, couldn't resist. ;-)

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[Kavorkian_scarf (1272422)]

You need to pay for health insurance in Alberta, and my health care is subsidized, so i do not in fact, pay for my health care.

Damn

[Strange Ranger (454494)]

I'd like to see QA on that software.

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[MichaelSmith (789609)]

I used to think that before I started to work on ATC software. Now I prefer not to know.

Oblig.

[esrobinson (1028500)]

I, for one, welcome our new brain surgeon robot overlords.

Re:Oblig.

[pcgabe (712924)]

No! No! We must fight them! Brain surgeon robot overlords? Are you MAD? They could... they could re-program our VERY MINDS!

This is TOO FAR! We =must= take a stand! This far, no further!

In fact, I'm going to go give these overlords a piece of my mind in person! BRB

Re:Oblig.

[pcgabe (712924)]

DISREGARD THAT, I SUCK COCKS.

I, too, WELCOME our BRAIN-surgeon ROBOT overlords.

All GLORY to THE brain-SURGEON robot OVERLORDS!

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[jamesh (87723)]

Not bad, references to qdb [bash.org], the simpsons [wikipedia.org], and futurama [wikipedia.org].

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[mikael (484)]

When my step-father was in hospital from a amoebic infection of the blood stream, he once called home, still a bit woozy and told us, "The doctors have removed my brain, they told me I don't need it any more". The doctor went on the line and explained he meant drain.

It's Not a Robot

[juancnuno (946732)]

This is great and all, but I feel the term "robot" is overly misused. To me, robot implies a computerized autonomy. If the doctor controlled the thing, then to me that's no robot.

... It's a Waldo

[Fallen Andy (795676)]

Annoys me as well, but many "industrial robots" are really remote manipulators. I always remember the first one I saw at Rolls Royce Aerospace (Bristol UK) (early 80's). So darn dangerous it had it's own room . Needed it too - they were cutting turbine blades. One oops, and it's hypersonic ninja dices and slices time... See here [wikipedia.org]

(I just noticed the Waldo story reference has something which prefigures Feynmann's "Plenty of Room at the Bottom" . Wonder if he got that idea from Heinlein?

Andy

Im a doctor not a video gamer!

[Aranykai (1053846)]

And while on the subject, why do they insist on likening anything with a display and controls to playing a video game? Its not an Atari, its a complex medical machine.

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[ceoyoyo (59147)]

Actually, they did at least one study where they looked at video gamer performance using Neuroarm (the poster is hanging just out the door in the hallway).

I can't remember the details offhand, but IIRC they tested gamers, experienced surgeons and trainees on a simulated surgery. The gamers did very well.

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[Enleth (947766)]

Well, that depends on the level of autonomy this device has. Maybe it's just a manipulator that turns the movements of a joystick directly into the movements of a scalpel or something, but it could as well receive orders like "cut this piece of tissue" and proceed by itself with exact, self-calculated movements of the blade. I'd say this counts as a form of a robot.

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[ceoyoyo (59147)]

It has that capability, but it's not being used that way yet. The plan was to be able to record movements and replay them. Like "suture that vessel."

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[SeaFox (739806)]

If the doctor controlled the thing, then to me that's no robot.

Yeah! it's a space-age station for Oncology! And the doctor shoots first.

Yeah, but wait until she gets the bill...

[Jafafa Hots (580169)]

...oh yeah, I forgot... it's Canada.

Sure, she gets a free, first-ever, tumor removing robot surgery for free... but she probably had to wait for it, right Rush?

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[ceoyoyo (59147)]

There are no waiting lists for time-sensitive surgery. You get it when you need it.

Waiting lists are for elective procedures, like getting your hip replaced. Sure, it would be NICE to have a new hip in time for golf season, but missing a few tee times won't kill you.

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[Jafafa Hots (580169)]

I'm pretty sure she's not reading this. But she might find it funny if she did, because the target of the joke is not her, it's the U.S. medical system.

Sick bunny

[DarkWicked (988343)]

provided surgeons with the tools needed to successfully remove the egg-shaped tumour.

That's one SICK easter bunny they have over there.

...Robot?

[Ethan Allison (904983)]

How is this any more of a robot than construction equipment? They're both "this joystick controls how this part of the machine moves"

This is great

[melted (227442)]

Just think how much of a boon this is for microsurgeons - folks who stitch together nerves, small blood vessels, etc. Hand tremor and even its inherent precision is no longer an issue. Plus, you can have more than two "hands". This will only get better, and eventually we'll probably see minor surgeries performed without any human intervention.

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[dbcad7 (771464)]

But there was human intervention in this case.. a human was operating the controls of the robot arm.

Not putting it down.. much nicer to tell the arm to start a cut at point A and a specific depth and end at point B.. I had some repair work done on my knee, and I have an extremely long scar.. did he start at the wrong place and just keep going till he found what he was looking for ?? don't really know, and better I don't think about it too much...

As I have done some CAD/CAM work before this is interestin

See?

[Godji (957148)]

Doctors used remote controls and an imaging screen, similar to a video game, to guide the two-armed robot through Paige Nickason's brain

See, Jack Thompson was right all along. COMPUTER GAMES CAN MESS WITH YOUR BRAIN!!!

(The captcha for this post happens to be "lawful". COINCIDENCE?! I think not!)

Similar to a video game?

[Extremus (1043274)]

"GAME OVER! You killed the patient! Press START to continue."

Re:

[Sentry21 (8183)]

'Your time has expired. Please insert $0.25 to continue.'

Video games for Doctors

[lewko (195646)]

Doctors used remote controls and an imaging screen, similar to a video game

Doctor: Dammnit nurse! Guide me over to the Health bonus

Nurse: There's no time Doctor! We're losing the patient.

Doctor: Okay. We have to cheat death. Press up-up-left-left-up-up-down-select.

Nurse: It's working! The patient has full health!

Doctor: Tumour P3wnd!

Unfortunate title clipping

[AC-x (735297)]

My RSS reader just printed this story as "Surgical Robot Removes Calgary Woman's Brain ..."

It's not a robot, it's a waldo

[cellocgw (617879)]

What, you guys don't read Heinlein?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo_(short_story) [wikipedia.org]

BTW, I read somewhere (and naturally forgot all about it until now) that one of the features being implemented in surgical waldoes is a low-pass filter, which removes any tremor or shaking in the surgeon's hand from the final instrument's movement. Sounds like a win to me.

Re:

[timmarhy (659436)]

you do realise somewhere along the line someone has to be the experimental patient, right?

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[somersault (912633)]

More dexterity but probably less stability and more chance of being nervous, or getting pumped up on adrenaline and shaking? That kind of thing.

Our robot overlords

[Ambitwistor (1041236)]

My RSS list cut off the last word from the title.

Mine too. I thought the robot uprising [amazon.com] had finally begun!

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[glueball (232492)]

Soon we can be on a honda assembly line


The Soviets did this for eye surgery decades ago. They would have patients on a carousel with surgeons each applying one step of the surgery. Then the entire patient carousel would shift with the next surgeons applying their one step to the next patient.