Telesurgery Matches Local Surgery in RCT
First randomized trial shows remote robotic urologic procedures achieve comparable success.
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By
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Doug Brunk
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February 23, 2026
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Objective:
To compare the reliability of telesurgery with local robotic surgery for urologic procedures.
Key Findings:
- Surgical success was 100% in telesurgery cases vs 94% in local cases.
- Operative time was 152 minutes for telesurgery and 135 minutes for local surgery.
- Postoperative hospital stay was similar (6.0 vs 5.5 days).
- Positive surgical margins were observed in 3% of telesurgery cases and 16% of local cases.
- Surgeon workload was lower in the telesurgery group (median 29 vs 48).
Interpretation:
Telesurgery demonstrated noninferiority to local robotic surgery with comparable perioperative and early recovery outcomes.
Limitations:
- Small sample size with a 12.5% withdrawal rate.
- Empiric selection of the noninferiority margin without prior randomized data.
- Masking of surgeons was not feasible.
Conclusion:
Telesurgery is a viable alternative to local robotic surgery for urologic procedures, with similar outcomes and reduced surgeon workload.
