Thailand performs first robotic telesurgery for prostate cancer

Thailand’s first successful robotic telesurgery was performed on a prostate cancer patient at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital by a team of specialists at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok, the Public Health Ministry announced today, marking a milestone in Thai medicine.

The surgery was presided over and witnessed by Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat, Public Health Permanent Secretary Dr Somruek Jungsaman, Medical Department Director-General Dr Nutthapong Wongwiwat and Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital director Dr Piyawat Laovahahutanon.

Pattana said the robotic surgery was made possible by a high-speed internet connection with a latency of about 22 milliseconds linking the two hospitals, which are about 250 kilometres apart.

The surgeon in Bangkok, Dr Peeradon Sapermsap, operated the robotic console to perform the telesurgery, while two doctors at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, Dr Niphon Suparattanaphan and Dr Thanathorn Termkraisri, assisted at the operating theatre.

He said the minimally invasive procedure took a little over an hour, beginning at about 9am. It resulted in less blood loss and was expected to allow the patient to recover more quickly, he added.

Pattana said the robotic telesurgery built on the success of a trial telesurgery conducted from April to June this year by West China Hospital in China, about 3,000 kilometres from the Thai hospital. At the time, the high-speed internet connection had a latency of 100 to 1,000 milliseconds, he said.

Following the successful operation, similar technology would be introduced at other hospitals across the country, helping to reduce transportation costs for both medical personnel and patients, Pattana said.

However, he said the technology was expensive, so each hospital’s capability to operate and maintain the system would have to be taken into consideration.

Robotic surgery technology has been installed and used at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok for about five months, with 52 patients having undergone surgery using the technology so far. Meanwhile, about 100 patients have undergone robotic surgery at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital.

Nutthapong said robotic surgery technology had been used at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital since last year to treat prostate, ovarian, uterine and pancreatic cancers, as well as for general surgery.