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 Apr 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, graduated with a geology degree from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He completed his medical school training at Michigan State University and went on to complete his surgical residency at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Following this, Dr. Albala was an endourology fellow at Washington University Medical Center under the direction of Ralph V. Clayman. He practiced at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and rose from the ranks of Instructor toProfessor in Urology and Radiology in eight years. Ten years later, he became a tenured Professor at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. At Duke, he was Co-Director of the Endourology Fellowship and Director for the Center of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Urological Surgery. He has over 247 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has authored three textbooks in endourology and seven in general urology. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Robotic Surgery. Dr. Albala serves on the editorial board for Medical Reviews in Urology, Current Opinions in Urology, and Urology Index and Reviews. He serves as a reviewer for eight surgical journals. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Urology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. In addition, he was ranked among the top 2% of urologists in the world by a Stanford University study done in May 2021.
At the present time, Dr. Albala is Chief of Urology at Crouse Hospital and a member of Associated Medical Professionals in Syracuse, New York. He is considered a national and international authority in laparoscopic and robotic urological surgery and has been an active teacher in this area for over 20 years. His research and clinical interests have focused on robotic urological surgery. His other clinical interests include minimally invasive treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), biomarkers in prostate cancer, and the use of fibrin sealants in surgery. He has been a Visiting Professor at numerous institutions across the United States as well internationally in multiple countries including India, China, Iceland, Germany, France, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and Singapore. In addition, he has done operative demonstrations in over 32 countries and 23 states. He has trained 19 fellows in endourology and advanced robotic surgery.
In addition, Dr. Albala is a past White House Fellow who acted as a special assistant to Federico Pena, Secretary of Transportation, on classified and unclassified public health related issues.
