AZORG says it is the first hospital in Europe to have performed two operations via telesurgery, in which surgeons work remotely using a robot. These operations mark an important step in the application of advanced technology in medical care.
The first surgery was performed by Dr. Geert De Naeyer from Orsi Academy in Merelbeke, while the patient was at AZORG Hospital in Aalst. The second surgery was led by Dr. Emily Jamaer, gynecologist at AZORG, who was the first female surgeon in Europe to perform a hysterectomy via telesurgery. Both operations were performed with the Toumai Tele-Robotic Surgical System, an innovative Chinese system that has been CE-certified in Europe since 2024.
New possibilities
The technology enables precise, robot-assisted keyhole surgery, with benefits including less blood loss, less pain and faster recovery. Although the surgeons worked remotely, experienced doctors were always on hand in the operating room to intervene if needed - something that proved unnecessary.
According to Prof. Alex Mottrie of AZORG and Orsi Academy, this breakthrough opens up new possibilities: surgeons can share expertise worldwide and patients no longer have to travel for top care. AZORG thus confirms its pioneering role in robotic and telesurgery within Europe. This development highlights the potential of telesurgery to transform healthcare worldwide by overcoming barriers of distance and logistics.
Surgery in space from earth
Formally, this is not the first time remote surgery has been performed in Europe. Last September (2024), Dr. Alberto Breda performed successful kidney surgery from Bordeaux on a patient in Beijing, more than 8,000 km away. The operation, performed during the European Robotic Surgery Symposium, was guided via the Edge Robotics System with a latency of only 132 milliseconds, imperceptible to the human eye.
Remote surgical procedures have been worked, developed and tested for some time. In February 2024, for example, an experiment was conducted in which a simulated operation was performed from Earth in the International Space Station ISS by six American surgeons. His controlled a specially developed miniature robot that had been transported to the ISS from the ground a few weeks before, considering the delay in communication (latency) of 0.67 to 0.75 seconds. Although the operation was a simulation, the experiment showed that remote robotic surgery is possible, which could be crucial for medical emergencies in space. In addition, the compact and accessible robot opens new possibilities for surgical care in remote areas on Earth.
