The Medrobotics Platform for Transanal Surgery

Colonic and rectal resections are burdened by a consistent perioperative morbidity and should be limited to those cases unsuitable for endoscopic resections. Minimally invasive treatment of large rectal neoplasms by transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) and, more recently, by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become a common procedure, even if they both have limitations regarding operative technique. With the aim to overcome these limitations, many new technologies have been developed. The Medrobotics platform for transanal surgery, a new robotic technology, has some interesting features. The Flex® Robotic System (Medrobotics) represents a miniaturized endoscopic surgery system that allows to perform surgical maneuvers in areas that are not accessible by TEM, but currently only by flexible endoscopes without surgical characteristics, as they are not stabilized and with a restricted visual field. Thus, the Medrobotics platform can significantly decrease the time of the procedure and increase the rate of complete resection also in the upper part of the rectum and above.