Another milestone has been achieved by the surgery robot Versius at Policlinico of Milan. This innovative machine, which started working at the end of 2021, achieved on 4th April its 100th successful surgery by performing a thymectomy, i.e. the removal of the thymus gland. This was an important accomplishment for British AI researchers of CMR Surgical, which allowed minimally invasive surgery to take steps forward both in thoracic and general surgery.
Professors Lorenzo Rosso and Mario Nosotti, surgical doctor and director of the Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplant Surgery Unit of the Policlino of Milan respectively, operated the machine and performed the operation. Both professors underlined with great enthusiasm how important the results achieved are thanks to these advanced technologies. The main advantages offered by this machine are the flexibility, precision and ability to perform delicate procedures in a safe way, allowing doctors to treat patients with innovative and high-quality methods.
This specific surgery was in an extremely delicate area, as the thymus gland is located in the thoracic area next to the heart muscle, partially covering the aortic arch. For this reason, it is essential to be precise and the main advantage of using a robot was the possibility to reach difficult limited areas. Versius is equipped with arms that are able to move freely and adapt to the needs of the surgeon and also to the patient’s anatomical features. The possibility of less invasive and more precise surgery results in shorter recovery times, fewer scars and less post-op pain.
The robot has been used in 60 thoracic surgery and 40 general surgery procedures. For instance, it has been used for cholecystectomies, anterior-low resections and lung resections. The main goal of this project is to let as many patients as possible access high-quality surgery. Over the last one and a half years, the Policlinico of Milan has shown that this is the right path for the attainment of ever better results in the near future.