Dr. Kauok discusses future directions in urologic surgery

In this video, Jihad Kaouk, MD, highlights some potential future directions for innovation in urologic surgery. Kauok is a urologist at the Cleveland Clinic Glickman Urologic and Kidney Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.

Video Transcript:

I think there's a lot of interest now on intraoperative navigation. The robot, as it is today, is more of an extension to the surgeon's hands and eyes with the joysticks and the camera. The next phase would be a robot that partners with the surgeon to do a more precise surgery. We're looking at on intraoperative navigation that makes you aware of organs or adjacent tissue that you don't see beneath the surface. So, it can tell you, "Be aware, there's a big blood vessel here", [or] "Be aware you're close to the tumor edge here". I think that's going to be the next step, along with better visualization also; visualization beyond what just the eye can see, like isotopes that light up lymph nodes or track cancer cells. I think that's where the future is.

This transcription has been edited for clarity.