Preliminary application of robot-assisted teleultrasound-guided interventional system

Background: Teleultrasound has gained significant traction in clinical practice in recent years. However, studies focusing on remote interventional ultrasound remain limited.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of percutaneous puncture using a robot-assisted teleultrasound-guided interventional system (RTIS).

Materials and methods: This study was approved by the institutional animal ethics committee and human research review board. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients. Two experienced interventional ultrasound physicians performed percutaneous punctures using both RTIS and conventional ultrasound guidance (CUG) in phantom and swine liver models, as well as in clinical settings. Puncture distance errors and operation durations were compared between the RTIS and CUG groups in the experimental models. For clinical applications, operation duration, success rates, and complications were recorded.

Results: No significant differences were observed in puncture distance errors between the RTIS and CUG groups in the phantom study (2.85 ± 2.07 mm vs. 1.79 ± 1.93 mm; p = 0.158) or the swine liver study (3.28 ± 1.20 mm vs. 2.56 ± 0.98 mm; p = 0.148). However, puncture operation durations were significantly longer in the RTIS group compared to the CUG group across all scenarios: phantom study (50 ± 19 s vs. 19 ± 7 s; p < 0.001), swine liver study (106 ± 19 s vs. 61 ± 32 s; p = 0.001), and clinical application (200 ± 27.02 s vs. 104.8 ± 33.92 s; p < 0.001). All six patients in the RTIS group and ten patients in the CUG group successfully underwent percutaneous puncture without complications.

Conclusion: The RTIS demonstrated safety and feasibility for percutaneous puncture, providing comparable accuracy to conventional methods.

Clinical relevance statement: The RTIS offers a safe and effective solution for percutaneous puncture, with the potential to address the scarcity of medical resources in remote and underserved regions.