Initial clinical use of the intraocular endoscope holding robot in pars plana vitrectomy.

PURPOSE: OQrimo® is a robotic assistant system that supports vitreoretinal surgery by holding an intraocular endoscope or illumination device to assist the surgeon. In April 2023, Japan approved this system, and as the world's first clinical institution to implement OQrimo®, we aimed to evaluate its safety and clinical utility.

RESEARCH

DESIGN

Retrospective case series

METHODS

The study analyzed all vitreoretinal surgery utilizing OQrimo® at Kyushu University Hospital between December 1, 2023 and November 31, 2024. Data collection included patient demographics, preoperative diagnoses, surgical procedures, equipment used, surgical records, and perioperative complications. We analyzed OQrimo's safety profile and patterns of clinical use based on these data.

RESULTS

Eight eyes from eight patients were included. Preoperative diagnoses included proliferative vitreoretinopathy, panuveitis, acute retinal necrosis, macular hole, and secondary glaucoma due to uveitis. The purpose of pars plana vitrectomy included silicone oil removal, vitreous biopsy, internal limiting membrane peeling, and Ahmed valve implantation via pars plana. OQrimo® maintained stable endoscope positioning in all cases, enabling observation of the peripheral retina without scleral indentation. In seven cases, OQrimo's endoscopic visualization and a wide-viewing system were used simultaneously. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed in any case.

CONCLUSION

We confirmed the safety of OQrimo® during its initial clinical application. The system facilitated the observation of the peripheral retina using an intraocular endoscope without scleral indentation.