David M. Albala, MD, presented “Update on Telesurgery and Novel Robotic Systems” during the 35th International Prostate Cancer Update conference on February 9, 2025, in Vail, Colorado.
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How to cite: Albala, David M. “Update on Telesurgery and Novel Robotic Systems.” February 9, 2025. Accessed Nov 2025. https://grandroundsinurology.com/update-on-telesurgery-and-novel-robotic-systems/
Update on Telesurgery and Novel Robotic Systems – Summary
David M. Albala, MD, Chief of Urology, Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, New York, explores the evolution and future of telesurgery. In this 18-minute presentation, Dr. Albala highlights its technological advancements, ethical considerations, and clinical potential.
Dr. Albala reviews the origins of telesurgery, which combines medicine and technology enabling surgeons to operate on patients remotely. The pivotal Lindbergh operation in 2001 marked the first telesurgical procedure, with a gallbladder removal performed from New York on a patient in France.
Recent milestones include telesurgical prostatectomies and partial nephrectomies performed across continents using advanced robotic systems. The success of these procedures demonstrates the feasibility of telesurgery with minimal latency and no significant complications. Telesurgery holds promise for addressing healthcare inequities, particularly in underserved regions, and could reduce costs and improve training opportunities. However, Dr. Albala emphasizes that despite the technological readiness, economic, regulatory, and ethical challenges persist.
Dr. Albala examines emerging robotic systems such as Hugo, Versius, Dexter, and Hinotori, which expand surgical capabilities beyond the established Da Vinci platform. Key advancements include modular designs, improved ergonomics, and reusable instruments. Future innovations are expected to incorporate augmented reality, tactile feedback, and artificial intelligence to enhance surgical precision and safety.
About the 35th International Prostate Cancer Update:
The International Prostate Cancer Update (IPCU), is a multi-day, CME-accredited conference focused on new developments in prostate cancer treatment, diagnosis, and prevention. IPCU 35 will feature lectures, interactive discussions, panel roundtables, debates, and case reports. This conference is led by expert physicians and is designed for urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
The goal of this educational program is to equip healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer with the up-to-date clinical knowledge and tools they need to best treat their patients. The program will discuss the treatment of prostate cancer from diagnosis to treating advanced and metastatic disease. The conference aims to give physicians exposure to a comprehensive review of treating prostate cancer patients and to give them a chance to discuss the issues with peers and experts. You can learn more about the conference here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David M. Albala, MD, is a Chief of Urology at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, New York. Dr. Albala is considered a national and international authority in laparoscopic and robotic urological surgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive treatments for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), the use of fibrin sealants in surgery, and robotic urologic surgery.
Dr. Albala earned his medical degree at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He completed a residency in Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He then completed a fellowship in Endourology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Under the direction of Ralph V. Clayman, Dr. Albala was part of the team that performed the first laparoscopic nephrectomy in humans.
Dr. Albala is a past White House Fellow (1995-1996), who acted as a special assistant to Federico Peña, Secretary of Transportation, on classified and unclassified public health related issues. He has been a visiting professor at numerous institutions across the United States as well as overseas in countries such as India, China, Iceland, Germany, France, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and Singapore. He has done operative demonstrations in over 32 countries and 23 states. Dr. Albala has over 215 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has authored 3 textbooks in endourology and 4 books in general urology. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of theJournal of Robotic Surgeryand serves on the editorial board forCurrent Opinions in Urology, Reviews in Urology,andUrology Index and Reviews. In addition, he serves as a reviewer for 8 other surgical journals. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA). Dr. Albala is also currently the Visiting Professor of Urology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, College of Medicine. Dr. Albala has been identified (by a Stanford University-led study) as one of the top 2% of scientists in the world.
