Prospective development study of the Versius Surgical System for use in transoral robotic surgery: an IDEAL stage 1/2a first in human and initial case series experience

TL;DR

This study explores the use of the Versius Surgical System for transoral robotic surgery, showing it is feasible and identifying areas for improvement.

Contribution

The study is the first to prospectively evaluate the Versius Surgical System for transoral robotic surgery using the IDEAL framework.

Findings

30 TORS procedures were successfully completed without complications.

Setup time decreased over the study period, indicating a learning curve.

Four-arm surgery was introduced, but distal access limitations were observed.

Abstract

Transoral robotic surgery is well established in the treatment paradigm of oropharyngeal pathology. The Versius Surgical System (CMR Surgical) is a robotic platform in clinical use in multiple specialities but is currently untested in the head and neck. This study utilises the IDEAL framework of surgical innovation to prospectively evaluate and report a first in human clinical experience and single centre case series of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) with Versius.

Following IDEAL framework stages 1 and 2a, the study evaluated Versius to perform first in human TORS before transitioning from benign to malignant cases. Iterative adjustments were made to system setup, instrumentation, and technique, recorded in accordance with IDEAL recommendations. Evaluation criteria included successful procedure completion, setup time, operative time, complications, and subjective impressions. Further evaluation of the system to perform four-arm surgery was conducted.

30 TORS procedures were successfully completed (15 benign, 15 malignant) without intraoperative complication or conversion to open surgery. Setup time significantly decreased over the study period. Instrumentation challenges were identified, urging the need for TORS-specific instruments. The study introduced four-arm surgery, showcasing Versius’ unique capabilities, although limitations in distal access were observed.

TORS is feasible with the Versius Surgical System. The development of TORS-specific instruments would benefit performance and wider adoption of the system. 4-arm surgery is possible however further evaluation is required. Multicentre evaluation (IDEAL stage 2b) is recommended.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00405-024-08564-6.

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