Background

Keyhole neurosurgical tools approach the site of interest in the brain in different ways, including the approach via the nose or through the front of the skull. These tools can also be used in endoscope-assisted microsurgery and endoscopic spinal surgery.

Currently these procedures are undertaken with standard commercially available rigid (non-articulated) instruments that are not specifically designed for keyhole procedures. Surgeons using these standard instruments often have difficulty performing keyhole surgery because some areas remain difficult to access safely. In particular, the inability to triangulate and reduced haptic feedback limits precise and delicate tissue handling. The UCL technology is a handheld surgical robotic tool that will provide surgeons with the articulation the standard neurosurgical instruments lack. The robotic tool will make the handling of tissue easier, and make previously unattainable areas on the base of the brain and spine more accessible.

Technology Overview

The surgical robotic tool consists of two parts:

Robot body - includes the miniature robotic end-effector and its actuation system
Handle body – includes the joystick, and houses the motors, cabling and electronics

, .

Figure 2 shows an illustration of the surgical robot tool as a gripper tool and demonstrates how the tool would be controlled by the surgeon. The two parts of the tool are connected via a simple coupling mechanism, allowing for easy tool change as well as sterilization of the parts that come into contact with the human body. The miniature (less than 4 mm diameter) end-effector has a spherical joint, is driven by tendons, has three degrees-of-freedom^[1] and is controlled by the joystick and actuator built into the handle. The handle employs a rotating joystick body that can be moved to a position which is most comfortable for the surgeon. This rotating body also makes the instrument independent of left- and right-handedness.

Dimitrakakis et al, 2020, Journal of Medical Robotics Research, Vol 5, Nos 3 & 4, p2150002, DOI: 10.1142/S2424905X21500021

Benefits

The key benefits of the tool are a miniature robotic end-effector that can fit through constrained surgical spaces reaching previously inaccessible regions of the brain and a handle with rotating joystick-body that enables the joystick to be moved into the most comfortable position for the surgeon.

Currently, there are no articulated robotic devices on the market that can perform keyhole neurosurgery. The only tools available are used in conventional neurosurgery. These are rigid, non-articulated tools that operate under fulcrum and most surgeons find their usage very difficult. In addition, handheld surgical robotic devices have lengthy learning curves and are often designed with functionality in mind rather than ergonomics, leading to physiological problems for the surgeon during and following use.

The UCL handheld robotic system adds three degrees-of-freedom at the end tip of the surgeon’s tool and provides access to targets on the surface of the brain that were previously unattainable with rigid tools. The system has also been designed with both ergonomics and functionality in mind, aiming to increase the efficacy of minimally invasive neurosurgery without burdening the surgeon with physiological problems.

Applications

Most commercially available handheld robotic systems are used in urologic, gynaecologic, gastrointestinal and thoracic procedures. The UCL system is state-of-the-art technology in the still less populated field of robotic brain surgery. While the UCL system was initially developed for the constrained spaces of minimally invasive neurosurgery, its miniature robotic end-effector, ease of integration into the operating theatre, ergonomically designed compact handle that does not need to be mounted on the trocar, have the potential to popularise it in other minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Opportunity

The team is seeking market feedback on the opportunity and future commercial and collaboration partners.

A Handheld Surgical Robot for Minimally Invasive Brain Surgery

Patents

IP Status

Seeking