100 top robotic surgeons from 14 nations deliberate on evidence-based procedures

San Francisco: US-based Vattikuti Foundation has partnered with Belgium-based Orsi Academy to host its annual robotic surgery symposium in Belgium from October 6-8, to be attended by over 100 eminent surgeons from 14 countries, including several talented surgeons from India.

The symposium in the historic city of Ghent will feature urologist Peter Wiklund of Mount Sinai Hospital, US; Dr Rajesh K Ahlawat, Medanta The Medicity; Dr Rajeev Kumar, AIIMS; and Prof Francesco Porpiglia of San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, Italy.

The Vattikuti Foundation has chosen several young surgeons and fellows to present their surgical innovations at the symposium. They include Dr Karandeep Guleria, Max Super Specialty Hospital; Dr Jayanth Hulagi, Narayana Health System; Dr Kushal Agarwal, Aster Hospital, and Dr Aditya Kulkarni, Ruby Hall Clinic.

The surgeons practicing Robotic surgery in non-metro-Indian cities presenting at the conference include Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan, Meliora Kidney Institute, Kharar, Punjab, and Dr Subhash Khanna, Swagat Super Specialty Surgical Hospital, Guwahati, the foundation said in a statement.

They will focus on evidence-based procedures in the ever-growing field of robotic surgery.

“In keeping with the focus on innovation, the symposium will open with a session on ‘Why and how of surgical innovation’ by Dr Sherry M Wren, Vice Chair and Professor of Surgery, Stanford University,” said Dr Mahendra Bhandari, CEO, Vattikuti Foundation.

It will be followed by a presentation on ‘State of the art surgical simulation’ by Dr Ahmed Ghazi, Director of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, John’s Hopkins University,’ added Bhandari, also Director of Robotic Research and Education, Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan.

The sessions will be dedicated to deep-learning strategies for automatic 3D virtual models, augmented reality guidance, and AI assistance and error understanding.

Raj Vattikuti, who founded Vattikuti Foundation in 1997 to evangelise minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery and to prepare a pool of robotic surgeons, is set to kick off the event and participate in the deliberations.