Telesurgery Matches Local Surgery in RCT - Summary - MDSpire
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Telesurgery Matches Local Surgery in RCT

First randomized trial shows remote robotic urologic procedures achieve comparable success.

  • By

  • Doug Brunk

  • February 23, 2026

  • 3 min

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Objective:

To compare the reliability of telesurgery with local robotic surgery for urologic procedures.

Approach:
    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.

    Sources:

Original Source(s)

Telesurgery Matches Local Surgery in RCT

  • by Doug Brunk

  • February 23, 2026

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