Erasmus MC surgeons remove lung tumor with AR and surgical robot

Surgeons at Erasmus MC have removed a lung tumor with augmented reality and an operating robot. The hospital talks about a world first. Thanks to the AR, operations could be faster and with fewer complications.

During the operation, a camera was inserted into the patient’s lungs, with the images shown on a screen. The airways, blood vessels and tumor were projected over this. The operation used a robot with two arms controlled by joysticks. The surgeon operated from a control panel of the surgical robot and was therefore not at the operating table. The surgical instruments were introduced into the body through ‘small holes’.

Trainee surgeon and researcher Amir Sadeghi, who co-performed the operation, compares the technology with GPS. “Augmented reality helps the surgeon to operate more precisely. For example, we can now see that an artery runs under a certain part of the lung.”

Two patients have now been operated on via augmented reality. Now the technology must be further validated and its ease of use increased. The university expects that this surgical technique will make operations faster and patients will have fewer complications such as bleeding. Sadeghi developed the technology together with technical physicians, software developers and AI specialists. The companies MedicalVR and Orsi Innotech also helped with the project. Nvidia is a partner of Orsi Innotech.

The respiratory tract (green) and blood vessels (blue)