First international: prof. Giovanni Alessio, Director of the Bari Eye Clinic – Italy, operated on a patient hospitalized at the Bari Polyclinic Eye Clinic, supervising the operation remotely from the venue of the WKC Congress (World Keratoconus Congress) held at the Le Méridien Congress Center in Dubai – UAE. The innovative intervention was carried out thanks to the 4D Suite platform from iVis Technologies and the TIM 5G connection active at the Bari Polyclinic
It was April 20th when the first remotely controlled intercontinental telesurgery operation for keratoconus was successfully carried out, connecting the iRes®2 laser from iVis Technologies, installed in the operating room of the Ophthalmology Clinic of the Polyclinic of Bari and connected in 5G, with the iVis Remote Control Station installed at the Falcon Ballroom of the Le Méridien Conference Center in Dubai, during the WKC (World Keratoconus Congress) world congress in the presence of over 200 international ophthalmic surgeons and experts in the sector, gathered to discuss advanced treatment technologies of keratoconus and ectatic pathologies.
The operated patient was suffering from advanced keratoconus, a developmental pathology that causes a visual deficit that cannot be corrected with glasses and which, if left untreated, can lead to a cornea transplant.
The innovative intervention was possible thanks to the 4D Suite platform from iVis Technologies, which manages, with remote control, the entire cycle of Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-up of corneal pathologies.
In the days preceding the surgery, the patient underwent a series of diagnostic tests which, thanks to high resolution images acquired with the iVis Diagnostic Platform, made it possible to determine the stage and extent of the pathology, information used to plan, with of Ray-tracing, using the Cipta®Web application by iVis Technologies, the customized treatment to improve vision, block the evolution of the pathology and minimize surgical invasiveness.
From the Falcon Ballroom of the Le Méridien Conference Center in Dubai, prof. Giovanni Alessio (Full Professor of Ophthalmology Clinic at the University of Bari and Director of the Ophthalmology Department of the Bari Polyclinic), controlled and guided in real-time, with the iVis Remote Control Station, equipped with a 3D viewer, the iRes®2 laser installed at the Ophthalmology Clinic of the Bari Polyclinic. The patient was assisted in the operating room by a dedicated team. The surgery was performed by combining corneal reshaping to improve vision and crosslinking to block the progression of keratoconus.
The intervention was made possible thanks to TIM’s 5G technology which, in collaboration with Ericsson, installed the appropriate infrastructure at the Ophthalmology Clinic of the Polyclinic of Bari, and made it possible to maintain an adequate transmission latency between the iVis Remote Control Station and the iRes®2 laser, to guarantee perfect synchrony between remote commands and action.
The first intercontinental keratoconus telesurgery operation was successfully performed at the Ophthalmology Clinic of the Polyclinic of Bari, remotely controlled from the Le Méridien Congress Center in Dubai – UAE, during the World Keratoconus Congress
The 5G connection provided by TIM at the Bari Polyclinic was created thanks to the installation of an Ericsson 5G radio module for indoor coverage, interconnected to the TIM Core Network through 10Gbps fiber optic access.
“The operation performed today, made possible by the technology developed by iVis Technologies, is the last and most complex operation of a series of three remotely controlled surgeries carried out to demonstrate that, thanks to remote control, it will no longer be necessary to patients face long journeys to receive the best possible care. We must continue to invest in the research and development of these innovative technologies, ensuring that they are accessible to all who need them,” says Prof. Giovanni Alessio.
“iVis Technologies is a leader in innovation and research in ophthalmology. At iVis we are convinced that technology should be a tool to improve the quality of life of patients, but that it becomes, above all, a means to promote greater equity in the global healthcare system. For this reason we have developed the SDTF project, to automatically manage, with remote control, the entire cycle of Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-Up of corneal pathologies and refractive errors, to guarantee homogeneity of performance regardless of the site of provision, in order to eliminate patient migration due to health needs. A revolution that can significantly improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world, with significant savings in resources”, explains Eng. Giuseppe D’Ippolito, sole director of iVis Technologies.
“iVis technology introduces a disruptive innovation in the technique of treating keratoconus. The WKC is open to innovations, scientific progress and clinical practice. For this reason we wanted to organize this innovative intervention performed remotely, followed with great interest by many colleagues. The possibility of remotely managing the phases of a surgical operation opens up future prospects that were not even imaginable until recently” comment Prof. M. Hosni and Prof. M. Shafik, organizers of the remotely controlled surgery session at the WKC.
“The WKC is a thematic congress organized by the International Keratoconus Society (IKS) which brings together the best international experts to evaluate the most advanced therapies and technologies for the treatment of keratoconus. We are proud to have hosted the first intercontinental iVis of a remotely controlled keratoconus surgery that will help many patients around the world” concludes Prof. Mazen M. Sinjab President of the 1st WKC Congress and General Secretary of the IKS.