Surgical Robot Removes Blood Clot in the Eye
May 16, 2017 | Terry Sharrer
A surgical robot, developed at the University of Leuven in Belgium has been used to perform an extremely delicate procedure known as a retinal vein cannulation, described as this: “The robot inserts an attached needle into the affected vein and then injects a thrombolytic drug, which helps dissolve the clot. The needle is a mere 0.03 millimeters (or 30 microns) thick, three times as a thin as a strand of hair. In comparison, surgical laser fibers, which have been used for invasive optical surgeries since the 80s, range from 273 microns up to 1200 microns wide.” The robot’s skill is in both inserting the needle and holding it steady for about ten minutes.” MORE
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