The Robot-LVA Study: Robot-assisted Microsurgical Lymphaticovenous Anastomosis in Breast Cancer-related Lymphedema

"The robot-assisted LVA is performed using the Microsure Motion Stabilizer, a telemanipulation tool that stabilizes a surgeon's movement during open microsurgical operations on extremities, specifically on veins and nerves that are close to the skin.~The surgeon controls a joystick, which directly copies the surgeon's movements in real-time to an instrument held by the device. The device's software scales down the motions and filters out tremor. Surgical technique and method of treatment are identical to conventional microsurgery. The device is equipped with genuine microsurgical instruments and is compatible with existing surgical microscopes. Instead of holding the instrument directly in hand, which is limited in precision and dexterity, the surgeon operates while the instrument's movements are stabilized. The modular design allows the surgeon to decide what level of manipulation assistance is required during a certain procedure."

Lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) involves connecting a lymphatic vessel to an adjacent vein of similar size, thereby facilitating the outflow of lymphatic fluid in patients suffering from secondary lymphedema