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Interdisciplinary
Telelap Alf-x – a new telesurgical concept and system
The NESA is collaborating with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission and SOFAR S.p.A. in Milan, Italy concerning a novel telesurgical system. It is a new concept called Telelap Alf-x. The advantages of this system are universality, tactile sensing, safety, 3D vision with an eye-tracking system and cost-effectiveness, as low-cost disposable or reusable instruments can be used. An International Scientific Advisory Board has been appointed which accompanies the preclinical studies.
Researchers from SOFAR and the NESA are developing a new type of console which allows the surgeon to feel the tissues in his or her fingertips. This makes the usage of the system as similar as possible to open surgery, with the advantages of endoscopy, bringing about a renaissance of abdominal surgery.
Download the Brochure describing the system.
International Medical School (IMS)
The NESA started its 6th year of existence with a new challenge, the establishment of a new medical university based on centres of competence, the International Medical School. Delegates from 12 countries participated in the First Academic Board Planning Meeting, which took place in Berlin on November 20, 2009. More and more institutions are informing us about their interest to join the project.
Download the Concept of the International Medical School.
Safe Surgery Saves Lives
The NESA participated as a consultant in the WHO project "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" and promotes the resulting Safety Checklist internationally. For more information, download the article "Primum non nocere".
Natural Orifice Surgery (NOS) / Scarless Operations Working Group (SLO)
The NESA founded the first European-based, interdisciplinary working group on NOS / SLO. Its goal is to develop surgical procedures using the natural body openings as well as "scarless" operations, and to promote alternatives to the "traditional" abdominal and endoscopical operations. The working group elaborates study protocols, conducts pre-clinical and clinical studies, explores specific physiological and surgical aspects and develops adapted instruments.
Endoscopical procedures have replaced laparotomy in many cases. The NESA believes that the natural orifice pathway might equally replace many laparoscopic operations. This is due to the relatively low risk in introducing the instruments and to the assumedly lower intra-abdominal pressure required. Transaxillar and transmamillar procedures are also optimized.
The participants are surgeons from various surgical disciplines as well as pharmacologists, physiologists and representatives of the industry.
The first meeting of the working group took place on June 23, 2006, the second on March 28, 2007 in Berlin.
The NOS working group is developing a new surgical device, the TED (Transdouglas Endoscopic Device). The TED is a multichannel, articulated, rigid endoscope that facilitates surgical procedures in the upper abdomen (cholecystectomy, liver biopsy, splenectomy etc.) as well as in the pelvis (hysterectomy, cystectomy, etc.) by using a single entry.
Protocol of the 1st meeting (incl. list of participants)
Protocol of the 2nd meeting (incl. list of participants)
Introduction to the NOS / SLO concept (M. Stark)
Axillary-Bilateral-Breast-Approach (ABBA) (T. Benhidjeb)
Transumbilical herniorrhaphy (K. Witzel)
The transoral access in endoscopic thyroid resection (K. Witzel)
