Development of Surgical Robot System for Fetal Surgery

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The clinical target of this study is intratracheal balloon occlusion from minimally invasive fetal surgery for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia(CDH). The target for the surgery is a prenatal temporary tracheal occlusion, which enlarges the fetal lungs, and is a promising procedure for severe cases. A balloon is supposed to be inserted for tracheal occlusion using the manipulator. We propose a novel robotic manipulator for intrauterine fetal surgery for tracheal occlusion. In this research, the 3-unit robotic manipulator with ball joint-shaped arthroses and a shaft diameter of 2.4 mm using a wire-driven mechanism has been developed to approach the fetal trachea without the risk of damage to fetal tissue. The robotic manipulator has a thin structure and 7 degrees of freedom to avoid damage to the fragile fetal tissue.