BK Medical, a wholly owned subsidiary of Analogic Corporation, has announced it will demonstrate its new Advanced Robotic Ultrasound Technology™ ART ™ , an ultrasound imaging solution for robotic-assisted surgery for surgeons with lots of experience, or very little, who perform robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) procedures in Miami, Fla. June 27-29, according to marketwire.com.
The solution helps surgeons plan their surgeries better, by providing visualization of the anatomical areas where they will be working. The company will be appearing at the Sixth Annual World Robotic Urology Symposium in conjunction with the Society of Robotic Surgery's second annual event.
Almost 50 percent more men chose prostatectomy in the United States in 2008 than in 2005, with the rapid adoption of robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), after remaining unchanged from 1997 to 2004, according to tmcnet.com. Men are choosing this because it involves less blood loss and pain and quicker recoveries, according to the article.
Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy is emerging as a viable approach for kidney-sparing surgery, according to europeanurology.com.
BK Medical’s technology includes the Flex Focus(TM) 700 Ultrasound System, specialized transducers, and tools designed specifically for robotic-assisted surgery.
"The 3D endocavity transducer and new ultrasound tools have the potential to aid both experienced and novice surgeons alike to help define anatomy of the bladder neck and apex during radical prostatectomy," said Vipul Patel, M.D., director, Global Robotics Institute at Florida Hospital and director, urologic oncology, and associate professor of urology at the University of Central Florida, in the press release at marketwire.com.
The new ART ultrasound solution includes the Flex Focus 700, the 3DART™ high-resolution endocavity transducer, the RST™ Robotic Stationary Transducer Arm* for securing the endocavity transducer during procedures, and a dedicated robotic transducer, ProART™*.
The 3DART endocavity transducer is small in diameter for minimal patient discomfort with no moving parts touching the patient. The resulting 3D data cube can be manipulated on the Flex Focus 700 to assess anatomy and geometry of the prostate prior to surgery for planning purposes.
"BK Medical worked closely with surgeons worldwide to develop the ART ultrasound solution to address robotic-assisted surgery needs of today and tomorrow," said Lars Shaw, vice president global marketing, BK Medical, in the press release at marketwire.com. "ART technology, the result of this successful collaboration, provides clinicians with a valuable tool to assess and monitor robotic-assisted surgery procedures in real time. We believe that during robotic-assisted surgical procedures, ART will give back control of ultrasound to surgeons."
Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Rich Steeves
