Design of a Continuum Surgical Robotic System for Bimanual Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection.

BACKGROUND

Digestive tract cancers are among the most common malignancies worldwide, and early diagnosis greatly improves patient prognosis. For instance, colorectal cancer has a 90% 5-year survival rate at early stages. Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) is the standard treatment, but traditional flexible endoscopes pose operational and visual challenges.

METHODS

This paper proposes a dual-continuum robotic surgical system based on a cascaded vertebrae design. Kinematic and frictional modelling analyses were conducted to ensure stable operation of the surgical robotic system on a commercial endoscope. In addition, a teleoperation system was developed to enable bimanual ESD procedures.

RESULTS

Experimental validation confirmed the system's workspace, stiffness, hysteresis optimisation, and teleoperation accuracy. In an ex vivo ESD procedure performed on a porcine stomach, the system successfully resected a lesion with a diameter of 20 mm.

CONCLUSION

This continuum robotic system demonstrates strong clinical potential to enhance ESD performance and reduce procedural difficulty.