Following urology, the feasibility of remote robotic surgery in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) has been successfully demonstrated, bringing a new paradigm of surgery that overcomes spatial and temporal constraints closer to reality.

Professor Joo-hee Yoon of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Catholic University of Korea St. Vincent’s Hospital recently completed a successful remote robotic surgery connecting Seoul and Shanghai in real time.

This follows a previous live demonstration by the Korean Urological Uro-Oncology Society (KUUS) at an international conference, where they utilized the endoscopic surgical robot "Toumai" to perform a remote procedure between Seoul and Shanghai, showcasing its expanding clinical applicability.

The latest test was conducted as a non-clinical trial using animal models and phantoms, utilizing the "Toumai" surgical robot developed by Chinese medical robotics firm MicroPort MedBot.

In this setup, operating the Toumai console in Seoul directed the movements of the robotic system at MicroPort MedBot in Shanghai in real time.

This dry lab successfully verified remote control responsiveness, video quality, and communication stability across the Seoul-Shanghai route, representing a significant step forward in realizing long-distance remote surgery.

Educational Program Planned for Uzbek Medical Staff
Through this dry lab test, Professor Yoon confirmed the feasibility of remote robotic surgical skills training and proctoring. Building on this success, she plans to roll out an educational program targeted at medical professionals in Uzbekistan.

If successful, this is expected to become South Korea's first cross-border remote robotic surgery proctoring initiative using the Toumai robotic system.

"I experienced an incredible moment where robotic arms were installed in a compact operating room while I operated the console from another continent," Professor Yoon remarked, sharing her thoughts on the milestone.

Meanwhile, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Vincent’s Hospital has previously invited medical staff from Tashkent Medical Academy in Uzbekistan for training and skills transfer across six separate occasions starting in 2017.

Since 2018, the hospital has also actively shared its surgical experience and know-how by visiting Uzbekistan directly a total of ten times to conduct live surgery demonstrations and operate master classes.

The Toumai system received regulatory approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) last March, and its import, distribution, and sales in South Korea are managed by Lead Healthcare.

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