Requirements analysis and preliminary design of a robotic assistant for reconstructive microsurgery

Microanastomosis is a microsurgical gesture that involves suturing two very small blood vessels together. This gesture is used in many operations such as avulsed member auto-grafting, pediatric surgery, reconstructive surgery – including breast reconstruction by free flap. When vessels have diameters smaller than one millimeter, hand tremors make movements difficult to control. This paper introduces our preliminary steps towards robotic assistance for helping surgeons to perform microanastomosis in optimal conditions, in order to increase gesture quality and reliability even on smaller diameters. A general needs assessment and an experimental motion analysis were performed to define the requirements of the robot. Geometric parameters of the kinematic structure were then optimized to fulfill specific objectives. A prototype of the robot is currently being designed and built in order to providing a sufficient increase in accuracy without prolonging the duration of the procedure.