Technical evaluation of robotic tele-cholecystectomy: a randomized single-blind controlled pilot study

Although robotic telesurgery is growing in popularity, the benefits of telesurgery compared to local surgery are unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of robotic tele-cholecystectomy with a commercial line using the Saroa(™) (Riverfield, Inc., Tokyo, Japan) system. The operation rooms of the Hokkaido University Hospital and Kushiro City General Hospital were connected using a best effort-type line (1 Gbps), with a distance of 250 km between the two hospitals. In this experimental single-blind randomized crossover trial, eight expert robotic surgeons performed robotic cholecystectomy in an artificial organ model using the Saroa(™) system and were randomized to begin with either local surgery or telesurgery. All surgeons were assessed on task completion time, total path length of the right- and left- hand forceps and camera, Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS), Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills (GOALS), and System and Piper Fatigue Scale-12 (PFS-12). In all experiments, the communication environment was stable and the mean communication delay was 8 ms (3–31 ms). All tele-cholecystectomies were performed safely. There was no significant difference in completion time (P = 0.495), score of GEARS (P = 0.258), GOALS (P = 0.180), or PFS-12 (P = 0.528) between local surgery and telesurgery. The total path of the forceps tended to be longer in tele-cholecystectomy, particularly with significantly longer left-hand forceps total path length (P = 0.041). Robotic tele-cholecystectomy using a commercial line can be performed safely as same as local robotic surgery, but the total path of the left-hand forceps was prolonged in robotic tele-cholecystectomy due to overshoot. Therefore, a solution for overshooting will be required in the future.