Introduction To evaluate the feasibility and safety of ArtiSential for performing minimally invasive surgeries for gynecological cancers.

Methods We conducted a prospective interventional study at eight tertiary institutional hospitals in Korea between November 2021 and April 2022. Eligible patients were 18 years or older and planned to undergo minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic cancer. We collected baseline characteristics, surgical information, and postoperative outcomes. The primary endpoint was to compare the operation time required for gynecologic cancer surgery using ArtiSential with the reported operation time for surgery using conventional laparoscopic instruments or robots. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the surgical outcomes of gynecologic cancer surgery using ArtiSential compared to conventional laparoscopic instruments or robots and collect operator feedback on equipment improvements during surgery.

Results A total of 40 patients were enrolled in the study, with 19 patients having endometrial cancer, 15 patients having cervical cancer, and 6 patients having ovarian cancer. The average duration of all surgeries was 187.0 ± 49.2 minutes, and no complications were encountered during the surgery. During the assessment of lymph nodes, ArtiSential was utilized in 64.7% of cases with an average assessment time of 40.3 ± 19.4 minutes. The majority of surgeons using ArtiSential reported that it performed slightly better compared to conventional laparoscopic instruments, while 47.5% reported that it performed slightly worse compared to da Vinci surgery.

Conclusion/Implications Minimally invasive surgery using ArtiSential is feasible and safe for the surgical management of early stage gynecologic cancer.