Development and validation of a forceps tip pressure detection system for safe and sensitive pediatric endoscopic surgery

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K24366
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 1002:Human informatics, applied informatics and related fields
• Research Institution: Saitama Children's Medical Center (2022-2023); Kitasato University (2019-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Deie Kyoichi 埼玉県立小児医療センター (臨床研究部), 外科, 医長 (00845109)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 小児 / 内視鏡手術 / 新生児 / 手技評価 / トレーニング / センサー / リアルタイム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Highly challenging pediatric endoscopic surgery has limitations specific to children, such as fragile tissue and narrow spaces, and it is also difficult to obtain a sense of force and touch during endoscopic surgery. Therefore, in order to evaluate the delicate and precise forceps manipulation required for endoscopic surgery on newborns and infants, we will develop forceps equipped with sensors that can obtain real-time force and tactile information generated at the tip of the forceps.
For the sensor-equipped forceps, we worked on developing a prototype with a sensor attached to the shaft of the forceps. We selected a sensor that was small, lightweight, and durable and incorporated it into the forceps. We developed a system that can display and record the pressure obtained at the tip of the forceps in real time. We will evaluate the validity of the developed sensor-equipped forceps in the future.

Free Research Field

小児外科　内視鏡手術

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

内視鏡手術は、従来の開胸開腹手術より傷が小さく、患者の術後疼痛の軽減、側弯・胸郭変形といった晩期合併症の抑制など患者の負担を低減した手術方法であり、小児にこそメリットが大きい手術である。しかし、新生児や乳児の内視鏡手術の場合、組織が脆弱で術野が狭小という特殊環境のため、成人領域よりも繊細かつ正確な手技操作が求められる高難度手術が多く、実施できる施設や医師が限定されている。小児でも安全かつ正確な内視鏡手術を行うためには、従来手術のような力触覚情報が得られることが重要であると考え、今回の鉗子開発に至った。