Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37032384›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery2023

A robotic system for solo surgery in flexible ureteroscopy: development and evaluation with clinical users.

Christopher Schlenk, Katharina Hagmann, Florian Steidle, Laura Oliva Maza, Alexander Kolb, Anja Hellings-Kuß, Dominik Stefan Schöb, Julian Klodmann, Arkadiusz Miernik, Alin Albu-Schäffer

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07411391 (A Feasibility Trial of a Novel Robotic System for Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07411391 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

A Feasibility Trial of a Novel Robotic System for Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery

TypeinterventionalSponsorChinese University of Hong KongRan2026 to 2027Enrolled15ConditionsRenal StoneArmsRIRS using the TaloStone T1000 RIRS platform
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Christopher SchlenkGerman Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Wessling, Germany. christopher.schlenk@dlr.de.
Katharina HagmannGerman Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Wessling, Germany.
Florian SteidleGerman Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Wessling, Germany.
Laura Oliva MazaGerman Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Wessling, Germany.
Alexander KolbGerman Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Wessling, Germany.
Anja Hellings-KußGerman Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Wessling, Germany.
Dominik Stefan SchöbDepartment of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg - Medical Centre, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Julian KlodmannGerman Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Wessling, Germany.
Arkadiusz MiernikDepartment of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg - Medical Centre, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Alin Albu-SchäfferGerman Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Wessling, Germany.
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) · DEUniversity of Freiburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe robotic system CoFlex for kidney stone removal via flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) by a single surgeon (solo surgery, abbreviated SSU) is introduced. It combines a versatile robotic arm and a commercially available ureteroscope to enable gravity compensation and safety functions like virtual walls. The haptic feedback from the operation site is comparable to manual fURS, as the surgeon actuates all ureteroscope DoF manually.

methodsThe system hardware and software as well as the design of an exploratory user study on the simulator model with non-medical participants and urology surgeons are described. For each user study task both objective measurements (e.g., completion time) and subjective user ratings of workload (using the NASA-TLX) and usability (using the System Usability Scale SUS) were obtained.

resultsCoFlex enabled SSU in fURS. The implemented setup procedure resulted in an average added setup time of 341.7 ± 71.6 s, a NASA-TLX value of 25.2 ± 13.3 and a SUS value of 82.9 ± 14.4. The ratio of inspected kidney calyces remained similar for robotic (93.68 %) and manual endoscope guidance (94.74 %), but the NASA-TLX values were higher (58.1 ± 16.0 vs. 48.9 ± 20.1) and the SUS values lower (51.5 ± 19.9 vs. 63.6 ± 15.3) in the robotic scenario. SSU in the fURS procedure increased the overall operation time from 1173.5 ± 355.7 s to 2131.0 ± 338.0 s, but reduced the number of required surgeons from two to one.

conclusionsThe evaluation of CoFlex in a user study covering a complete fURS intervention confirmed the technical feasibility of the concept and its potential to reduce surgeon working time. Future development steps will enhance the system ergonomics, minimize the users' physical load while interacting with the robot and exploit the logged data from the user study to optimize the current fURS workflow.

Indexed as

Kidney CalculiRobotic Surgical ProceduresErgonomicsHumansUreteroscopesUreteroscopyDLR MIROFlexible ureteroscopy (fURS)Kidney stonesPhysical human-robot interactionSurgical robotUser study

Identifiers

PMID37032384
PMCPMC10491575
OpenAlexW4362723981

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.