A new perspective of access to specialized care in Morocco is emerging. Thanks to advanced remote telesurgery, a Moroccan urological surgeon in Shanghai was able to operate on a patient 12,000 km away in Morocco.
Morocco sets a world record in the history of remote surgery, by carrying out remote surgery, a world first, with a total prostatectomy carried out over a record distance of 12,000 km between Casablanca and Shanghai. This operation marks a decisive step for medicine in Morocco, opening new perspectives of access to specialized care, even in the most remote regions.
This feat is a technological advance that opens up many revolutionary possibilities in terms of access to health and knowledge sharing in Morocco.
This intervention, carried out remotely, within the ONCORAD Group, to treat localized prostate cancer, is based on cutting-edge telesurgery technology. Total prostatectomy consists of the complete removal of the prostate gland, an essential operation in the control and treatment of this pathology. However, this type of procedure is often recommended for patients for whom complete ablation has the best chance of remission, according to a press release.
The success of this operation demonstrates the ability of telesurgery to overcome geographic constraints, thus providing effective treatment to patients, even in remote areas. Surgeon Youness Ahallal, urological surgeon and expert in robotic and cancer surgery, present in Shanghai was supported by a team on site in Morocco to manage the local aspects of the intervention. The technical supervision and maintenance of the equipment were carried out by a team of qualified Moroccan biomedical engineers, thus guaranteeing the safety and success of the operation.
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To carry out this operation, the surgical team used the Chinese surgical robot “Toumai”, a 3D laparoscopic surgery system, associated with an advanced communication platform allowing real-time transmission of the surgeon’s commands with absolute precision. and high definition 3D images. This surgery system is assisted by an independently developed robot, which provides the surgeon with high-definition stereoscopic surgical vision.
However, performing surgery 12,000 km away means overcoming significant technical challenges. To guarantee real-time synchronization of the surgeon’s commands in Shanghai with the robot’s movements in Morocco, the clinic has signed a partnership with the telecommunications operator Orange Morocco. This partnership aims to provide several innovative solutions to guarantee the safety and success of the surgical procedure. Carrying out this intervention required very high speed connectivity.
To this end, it was necessary to ensure sustained fluidity throughout the operation. A strict check of the proper functioning of the robots and telecommunication systems was carried out before the intervention through several test sessions with the operator and partners, thus eliminating any technical risk for the patient. Additionally, intensive simulations and training enabled perfect coordination and communication between local and remote teams.
This is the fourth operation of this type to date. The first happened in 2000: the surgeon was in New York and the patient was in Strasbourg, France. The second was last February, where a surgeon operated remotely from Bordeaux on his patient, aged 37, hospitalized in China. The third is the most recent, it occurred last July.
