LONDON: Surgeons from Scotland and the United States have achieved a major milestone in medical science by performing what is believed to be the world’s first remote stroke operation using robotic technology, the BBC reported.
Professor Iris Grunwald of the University of Dundee conducted a remote thrombectomy — the removal of a blood clot following a stroke — on a human cadaver. She operated from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, while the body was located across the city at the university’s medical facility.
Hours later, Dr. Ricardo Hanel, a neurosurgeon based in Florida, performed the first-ever transatlantic robotic operation, controlling instruments from his Jacksonville office to perform the procedure on a cadaver in Dundee — more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km) away.
‘A Glimpse of the Future’
The surgical team hailed the success as a potential game-changer for stroke treatment. If approved for clinical use, experts say it could allow specialists to perform lifesaving procedures remotely, especially for patients in remote or underserved regions.
“It felt as if we were witnessing the first glimpse of the future,” said Prof Grunwald. “Where previously this was thought to be science fiction, we demonstrated that every step of the procedure can already be done.”
The University of Dundee — a global training hub for the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment — is currently the only UK institution where doctors can operate on cadavers with artificial circulation mimicking real blood flow.
Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association, called the breakthrough “a remarkable innovation.”
“For too long, people living in remote and rural areas have been deprived of access to thrombectomy,” she said. “Robotics like this could rebalance the inequity that exists in stroke treatment across the UK.”
Researchers said the success of these trials could pave the way for global adoption of remote robotic stroke care, enabling rapid intervention without the need for patients to travel long distances.
