Robodoc helps cure ear patients

Mar 30 2007 By Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

A SURGICAL drilling robot has been used for the first time in a surgical operation in Birmingham.

The robot, developed by Prof Peter Brett, from the School of Engineering at Aston University, does not have to be programmed or made to work from a computer operated by a human.

Instead, it is so "smart" that it knows where to go and what to do - a first for medicine.

The micro-drill has now been tested in surgery for the first time, on patients needing cochlear implants.

It was carried out by David Proops, ear, nose and throat consultant surgeon at Birmingham's University Hospital Trust, which runs Queen Elizabeth and Selly Oak hospitals.

The drill is applied to the cochlea - the inner ear hearing organ - and then drills a hole less than a millimetre in diameter to enable the implant to be inserted.

Using hi-tech equipment, the device is able to detect the approach of the drill tip as it approaches tissue, so avoiding penetration of the membrane.

It is expected that this more precise means of drilling will lead to improved hearing for the patient following implantation.

The drilling robot has so far been tested on three patients - all with successful outcomes.

Mr Proops said the device drills a perfect hole, the perfect size, in the perfect place and to a perfect depth.

The drill is currently only being used for cochlear implants, but the potential for wider applications is extensive.

"It will revolutionise this type of micro-surgery," he added.