Automated Nerve Suturing Using Dual Arm Nanorobotic System Considering Needle Insertion Depth
Chao Qin, Yujie Jiang, Xiang Fu, Chengxi Zhong, Song LIU
AI summary
Problem
Manual nerve suturing is prone to tension and fascicle damage due to surgeon limitations, while existing automated systems lack micron-scale precision and fail to account for safe needle insertion depth or tension-free constraints.
Approach
The authors developed a vision-guided dual-arm nanorobotic system paired with an optimized path planning algorithm that estimates epineurial thickness to precisely control needle depth and trajectory for safe, automated suturing.
Key results
- Depth-aware path planning prevents fascicular damage during suturing
- Automated micron-scale precision surpasses existing millimeter-level robotic systems
- Ex-vivo motion accuracy achieved at 48 and 39 microns for dual arms
- In-vivo experiments confirm tension-free capability and functional nerve recovery
Why it matters
Provides a highly precise, automated surgical tool that could reduce manual surgical errors and improve long-term functional outcomes for peripheral nerve injury patients.
Abstract
Peripheral nerve injuries represent a significant clinical challenge in reconstructive surgery, traumatology, and neurosurgery, often leading to permanent sensorimotor deficits and diminished life quality. Thus, achieving precise epineurial suturing without nerve fascicle damage and tension remains a long-term aspiration for nerve repair. Yet, current techniques, mostly using direct suturing by surgeons, showcase unavoidable tension and limited functional outcomes. To address them, this work proposes a dual arm nanorobotic system-based approach for highly automated, precise, repeatable nerve suturing. An optimized path planning algorithm is designed leveraging the epineurial thickness estimation in order to control needle insertion depth and suturing trajectory. Due to the natural advantages of nanorobotics and microscope, the developed system can suture nerve with micron-scale diameter within confined space. Ex-vivo experiments on three types of rabbit sciatic nerves demonstrated the effectiveness and motion accuracy of 48 microns and 39 microns for two arms. In-vivo experiments with anatomic and functional analyses further validated the functional recovery, showing the potential for clinical translation.