How the Versius robot could bring keyhole surgery to the masses

Since entering the medical mainstream over forty years ago, laparoscopic (or keyhole) surgery - which enables surgeons to access a patient’s abdomen and pelvis without having to make large incisions - has had a profound impact on clinical care: reducing pain, boosting recovery times and lowering the risk of infection.

And yet, of the estimated 12 million pelvic and abdomen procedures carried out every year, only around fifty per cent are actually performed using minimally invasive techniques.

There are a number of reasons for this. Not least the fact that operating inside a patient’s body with just a grainy 2D image to guide you is exceptionally difficult.

What’s more, whilst there are some technologies available that simplify the process - such as the da Vinci robot, launched almost twenty years ago by US firm Intuitive Surgical - the high cost of these systems and the specialist facilities they require has limited their uptake.

However, Cambridge-based medical technology start-up, CMR Surgical, is on a mission to change this and bring laparoscopic surgery to the masses with a surgical robot that’s portable, cost-effective, simple to use, and - its developers claim - coming to an NHS hospital near you soon.