In-Vivo Validation of a Novel Robotic Platform for Endovascular Intervention.

Objective: In-vivo validation on animal setting of a pneumatically propelled robot for endovascular intervention, to determine safety and clinical advantage of robotic cannulations compared to manual operation.

Methods: Robotic assistance and image-guided intervention are increasingly used for improving endovascular procedures with enhanced navigation dexterity and accuracy. However, most platforms developed in the past decade still present inherent limitations in terms of altered clinical workflow, counterintuitive human-robot interaction, and a lack of versatility. We have created a versatile, highly integrated platform for robot-assisted endovascular intervention aimed at addressing such limitations, and here we demonstrate its clinical usability through in-vivo animal trials. A detailed in-vivo study on four porcine models conducted with our robotic platform is reported, involving cannulation and balloon angioplasty of five target arteries.

Results: The trials showed a 100% success rate, and post-mortem histopathological assessment demonstrated a reduction in the incidence and severity of vessel trauma with robotic navigation versus manual manipulation.

Conclusion: In-vivo experiments demonstrated that the applicability of our robotic system within the context of this study was well tolerated, with good feasibility, and low risk profile. Comparable results were observed with robotics and manual cannulation, with clinical outcome potentially in favor of robotics.

Significance: This study showed that the proposed robotic platform can potentially improve the execution of endovascular procedures, paving the way for clinical translation.