Robots for minimally invasive urology

LESSons in minimally invasive urology.

Since the introduction of laparoscopic surgery, the promise of lower postoperative morbidity and improved cosmesis has been achieved. LaparoEndoscopic Single Site (LESS) surgery potentially takes this further. Following the first human urological LESS report in 2007, numerous case series have emerged, as well as comparative studies comparing LESS with standard laparoscopy. Technological develop...

Concentric Tube Robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery

INTRODUCTION The human body was not designed to facilitate surgical repair. Thus, in order to minimize collateral damage to healthy tissue, many interventions require following complex curved paths through tissue and body lumens to reach surgical targets. The smallest existing instrument technologies utilizing this approach are comprised of catheters and endoscopes for passing through body lume...

The role of minimally invasive urology in the new millennium.

The field of urology has experienced tremendous advances in the new millennium. Technological innovations in optics and instrumentation have helped shape the area of minimally invasive urologic surgery (MIUS). In the past, operations for prostate cancer, kidney cancer and stone disease involved large incisions, significant blood loss and long hospitalizations with high patient morbidity. The ev...

Kinematic design considerations for minimally invasive surgical robots: an overview.

BACKGROUND Kinematic design is a predominant phase in the design of robotic manipulators for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). However, an extensive overview of the kinematic design issues for MIS robots is not yet available to both mechanisms and robotics communities. METHODS Hundreds of archival reports and articles on robotic systems for MIS are reviewed and studied. In particular, the kin...

Minimally invasive force sensing for tendon-driven robots