Longest remote surgery: Patient in Morocco operated by doctor sitting in China
A French surgeon has set a new record by performing the longest remote surgery, traveling 12,000 kilometers from Morocco to Shanghai to operate on a patient using a Chinese-made robot.
A French surgeon used a Chinese-made robot to perform prostate cancer surgery on a patient 12,000 kilometers away in Morocco.
According to Xinhua News Agency, this transcontinental procedure set a record as the longest remote surgery ever performed, with a round-trip transmission distance of more than 30,000 kilometers.
The surgery performed on November 16 used the Toumai robot, a state-of-the-art surgical system capable of real-time, high-definition imaging and precise control.
Dr. Younus Ahlalal successfully removed the prostate tumor in less than two hours and stitched the area.
Despite this great distance, the communication delay was just over 100 milliseconds, allowing seamless coordination between the robotic arm in Morocco and the surgeon in Shanghai.
Toumai robots are renowned for their accuracy, flexibility and stability, critical properties for complex operations. Following the successful surgery, Dr Ahlal said in a statement that the clear and smooth real-time video feed achieved using a standard broadband connection rather than the more advanced 5G technology showed the efficiency of the system.
Earlier in October, the Toumai robot assisted in minimally invasive kidney surgery in a 27,000-kilometer round-trip transmission between Shanghai and Benin, West Africa.
China has emerged as a leader in surgical robotics, with the sector projected to grow to $38.4 billion by 2026 due to rapid 5G network expansion.
At the end of August, there were more than 4 million 5G base stations in the country, making high-speed, low-latency medical applications such as remote surgery increasingly possible.
The Toumai robot, which received EU CE certification in May, is now approved for a range of procedures including urology, thoracic surgery and gynecological endoscopy.
It has already facilitated over 250 ultra-long-distance surgeries with 100% success rate, covering a cumulative transmission distance of over 4,00,000 kilometres.
These advancements show how robot-assisted remote surgery can connect patients to top doctors without the need to travel abroad.
