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Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open
GOX
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open
2169-7574
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Hagerstown, MD

GOX-D-24-00774
00009
10.1097/01.GOX.0001063844.09149.9e
3
PSTM Abstract Supplement
PSTM Top Abstracts/Posters 2024
Roboticscope (Robotic Microscope) Assisted Primary Cleft Palate Surgery; A Pilot Retrospective Cohort Study
Mokhtar Jonathan MBBS 1
Almarzooqi Shaikha MBBS 1
Alhammadi Fatima MBBS 1
Derick Mendonca A. MD 1
Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences
9 2024
18 9 2024
12 Suppl 6-7Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved.
2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

OPEN-ACCESSTRUE
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pmcINTRODUCTION: Conventional cleft palate surgery usually involves operating in a narrow oral cavity space with surgical loupe visualization. Today, some surgeons resort to surgical microscopes to improve visualization and obtain more precise muscle dissection. The RoboticScope is a head movement controlled system which moves the Robotic arm loaded with 3D visualization technology, allowing surgeons complete freedom to use their hands for surgery.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This pilot case-control study compares conventional palatoplasty with RoboticScope-assisted palatoplasty, aiming to evaluate its impact on surgical outcomes. Operation duration, pain management, in-patient recovery, and finally ergonomic benefits for surgeons will be assessed. We aim to shed light on new-generation surgical technologies that may result in increased patient and surgeon’s comfort and improvement in surgical performance.

METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of eight pediatric patients, split into two cohorts of four, comparing conventional palatoplasty to RoboticScope-assisted palatoplasty performed in 2023. Patient’s demographics were collected: age in months, gender, and type of cleft palate. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative variables. Variables measured included operative time, post-operative analgesia, oral intake, hospital stay and complication rates. Ergonomic evaluations were performed through surgeons documenting their feedback on comfort and surgical efficiency, including dissection and repair.

RESULTS: Results revealed that RoboticScope-assisted palatoplasty averaged 28 minutes longer than the conventional method, attributable to the time needed for equipment setup. The average duration of surgeries that were RoboticScope-assisted averaged 121 minutes (ranged 81-180 minutes), whereas duration of surgery without the RoboticScope averaged 93 minutes (ranged 84-107 minutes). Postoperative analgesic requirements differed as well. The entirety of the non-Robotic Scope group required morphine (all four patients) and half required nalbuphine. When compared to the RoboticScope group, only 2 out of four patients required morphine and none required nalbuphine. Furthermore, three out of four of the Robotic Scope group were reported to have good oral intake post-operatively on day 1 and quicker discharge in two cases, whereas poor oral intake was reported in three out of four of the non-RoboticScope group. However, there were no notable discrepancies in complication rates. Long-term outcomes such as speech development remain under review due to need for follow-up data. Finally, ergonomic assessments for surgeons operating with the RoboticScope revealed improved posture, less physical strain, and overall better ergonomics during procedures; compared to the significant neck/back strain reported during conventional palatoplasty. In terms of statistical analysis, to yield any statistical significance we will need more study participants and data.

CONCLUSION: This study concludes that RoboticScope assisted cleft palatoplasty is safe, feasible, associated with less analgesic needs, better oral intake and ergonomic benefits for surgeons when compared to conventional palatoplasty.
