Telemedicine and Surgery: a review article

IntroductionTelemedicine is one of the most up-to-date topics in medical science. This word was introduced by Thomas bird in the 1970s. Today telemedicine has found many uses in medicine, such as monitoring, education, and teleconferencing. This method is increasingly used to perform remote surgical procedures (telesurgery). The vision of telesurgery comprises a multitude of new communicative elements influencingthe way surgeons will treat their patients in the future. The purpose of this study was to review the use of .telemedicine in surgeryMaterial & Methods PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar searches were carried out using the keywords .’‘telesurgery’, ‘telepresence surgery’ and ‘telemedicine and surgery Results Based on reviewed studies telementoring and teleconferencing have been used widely for surgical training. Also clinical telesurgery systems are currently available and have been a trial in patients undergoinga variety of operations including cholecystectomy, coronary artery bypass, gastroenterology, urology, prostatectomy and general surgery. In 2002 the first long-distance telesurgery procedure was successfully .performedConclusionThough still a relatively new area of interest, it offers enormous potential for applications in medicine, especially in surgery. Telemedicine is believed to favor and simplify the exchange and diffusion of information, knowledge, and surgical education by permitting broader access to expertise and second opinions without travel. Telemedicine has huge potential to alter surgical practice but improvements are requiredin telesurgical technology with respect to tactile feedback, instrumentation, telecommunication speed and .availability. Issues of liability, legislation, cost and benefit require clarification

Keywords:

Telemedicine , Surgery