First report: International proctoring of robotic colorectal surgery using TELEPRO®.

Abstract

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RAMIS) requires a novice trainee to be proctored by an experienced surgeon. However, there are some obstacles to the traditional method of proctorship, namely costs, geographical barriers, time, and travel logistics. Teleproctoring is a novel method in which a proctor can remotely guide a surgeon during RAMIS. The advantages of teleproctoring include standardization of techniques, reduction in cost and travel time, and overcoming geographical barriers. We herein report our experiences with teleproctoring in RAMIS using TELEPRO^® (Tenmashimon Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). TELEPRO^® provides a real-time telementoring system that enables ultra-low-latency communication between mentors and operating theatres. One of the significant advantages of using TELEPRO^® is its use of shared internet access (SIA), whereby low-latency bidirectional communication can be established. Our experience with international teleproctoring using TELEPRO^® in RAMIS for colorectal surgery found no major glitches.