Robotic surgical systems in maxillofacial surgery: a review

Abstract

Throughout the twenty-first century, robotic surgery has been used in multiple oral surgical procedures for the treatment of head and neck tumors and non-malignant diseases. With the assistance of robotic surgical systems, maxillofacial surgery is performed with less blood loss, fewer complications, shorter hospitalization and better cosmetic results than standard open surgery. However, the application of robotic surgery techniques to the treatment of head and neck diseases remains in an experimental stage, and the long-lasting effects on surgical morbidity, oncologic control and quality of life are yet to be established. More well-designed studies are needed before this approach can be recommended as a standard treatment paradigm. Nonetheless, robotic surgical systems will inevitably be extended to maxillofacial surgery. This article reviews the current clinical applications of robotic surgery in the head and neck region and highlights the benefits and limitations of current robotic surgical systems.

A Robot Arm and Image-Guided Navigation Assisted Surgical System for Maxillary Repositioning in Orthognathic Surgery: A Phantom Skull-Based Trial

“…In the recent study by Wang, et al [30], a robotic system for orthognathic surgery that consisted of virtual surgery, surgical navigation and a robot-arm was proposed, and its reliability was analyzed according to the preliminary experiments to measure the distance between the fiducial markers after repositioning the maxilla. Despite the fact the several robot-assisted surgical systems for orthognathic surgery has been proposed, the clinical application of the robot-assisted surgical system has not been reported, and this system still remains in an experimental stage [20]. There are several limitations have to overcome for broader application of the robot assistant to orthognathic surgery.…”

“…Despite the great potentials of robotic assistants for orthognathic surgery, clinical applications of the robot require further technological advances in several aspects including safety and convenience [20,21].…”

“…In addition, it may be possible to cope with situations that require changing the surgical plan due to diagnostic errors or aesthetic problems found intraoperatively. Despite these possible advantages, the application of a robot surgical system to the orthognathic surgery has been relatively delayed and little consideration has been given to anatomic features and surgical procedures related with orthognathic surgery [20].…”

High‐Performance Flexible Tactile Sensor Enabling Intelligent Haptic Perception for a Soft Prosthetic Hand

“…Advances in robotics is extensively expanding their applications in many fields, such as medicine and artificial limbs . Although prosthetic hands can perform some complicated motions, they are still scarcely comparable to human hand.…”

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and oral and maxillofacial surgery

“…Taking inspiration from its use in other surgical fields, robotics offers benefits including a 3D magnified view, precise movements, bimanual operation with articulated arms, and suppression of tremor, enhancing the surgeon's physical capabilities. Therefore, procedures with robotic assistance can be performed with less blood loss, fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and better cosmetic results than standard open surgical techniques 10 . If AI technology is fused into the robotic surgery system, even unskilled surgeons can perform any maxillofacial surgery.…”