Surgeons have developed new minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques and instruments so that procedures that would previously have required a large incision can now be performed through a tiny 10mm cut.
University of Western Ontario and Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics (CSTAR) in London, Ontario
The researchers used a torque sensor to measure the force of the palpations.
Using tactile MIS sensing instruments under robotic control reduces the maximum force applied to the tissue by over 35% compared to a human controlling the same instrument. Accuracy in detecting the tumours was also far greater with the robot - between 59 and 90% depending on the robot control method used for palpation.
If developed further, the authors suggest that this type of instrument would particularly benefit surgeons performing lung tumour resection, where tissue often shifts significantly.
Currently this catheter method requires the use of three different devices, which are inserted into the heart in succession: one to map the heart's signals and detect the problem area, a second to control positions of therapeutic actuators and their contact with the epicardium, and a third to burn the tissue away.
The device is designed to deliver critical, high quality information - such as temperature, mechanical force, and blood flow - to the surgeon in real time.
The pre-calibrated amplifier eliminates the need to calibrate with weights.
The system includes base, vertical support, bath support, micromanipulator block, micro- manipulator handle, muscle supports rods, 1 pr/feet for rings, 25 μm and 100 μm Stainless Steel (3 m), 1 pr/hooks, 20 clips for strips, single myograph bath and the TRN001 transducer.
iWorx offers 4-channel (M4) or single-channel (M1) Myograph systems from Radnoti Glass Technology. These systems are designed for researchers performing contractile force studies on small ring samples with sizes ranging from 60 mm to over 1 mm in diameter. Examples include mouse aortic rings and small intestinal ring samples as well as micro-vessel preparations like mesenteric arteries.The Myograph systems include myograph chambers with transducers and amplifiers, a base with sliding wrist rest, temperature controllers, stands, tubing kits and all other essential items to conduct an experiment.iWorx offers a myograph normalization module (LS-20NM) which calculates the optimal pretension settings for each sample prior to conducting an experiment.