Insights from Robotic-Assisted Cleft Palate Procedures

Evaluating Surgical Outcomes in Pediatric Patients

In pediatric cleft palate surgery, precision and ergonomics are key. A recent pilot study led by Dr. Derek Amith Mendonca at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital in Dubai, explored the use of the RoboticScope in this setting.

 

Published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open under the title “Pilot Study: RoboticScope (Robotic Microscope)–assisted Primary Cleft Palate Surgery,” the study compared cleft palate surgeries performed with traditional surgical loupes versus those using the RoboticScope.

Study Setup and Focus

The study aimed to evaluate how robotic visualization technology could affect various aspects of cleft palate surgery, including:

 

  • Postoperative pain management
  • Oral intake and discharge timing
  • Intraoperative ergonomics
  • Learning curve and handling of the RoboticScope

Postoperative Analgesia

According to the study results:

 

  • 100% of patients in the conventional group required morphine post-surgery
  • In the RoboticScope group, only 50% needed morphine
  • The remaining patients were managed with NSAIDs or paracetamol

Oral Intake and Hospital Discharge

The study also reported differences in early recovery:

 

  • 75% of RoboticScope patients showed good oral intake by Day 1
  • 50% were discharged one day earlier compared to the conventional group

Complications

No complications were observed in the RoboticScope group, while the conventional group had one case of uvular dehiscence. This supports the feasibility of robotic visualization in delicate soft-tissue pediatric surgery.

Surgeon Experience: Ergonomics and Visualization

The study highlighted a clear ergonomic advantage from the surgeons' perspective:

 

  • Surgeons reported less physical strain and improved posture during procedures
  • The Head-Mounted Display and Head Gesture Control allowed more intuitive access to challenging anatomical angles

Learning Curve and Procedure Efficiency

Compared to the first surgery with the RoboticScope, subsequent procedures showed a 10%–35% reduction in operative time

 

This improvement over just a few cases suggests that surgeons adapted quickly, and that efficiency increases significantly with experience.

This pilot study demonstrates that robotic digital microscopy is a promising tool in pediatric cleft palate surgery. It offers new ergonomic possibilities for the surgical team and, in this early comparison, was associated with encouraging trends in recovery and workflow. While further research is needed, these initial results point to the RoboticScope as a viable option worth exploring in future pediatric microsurgical procedures.

Read the paper here:

Mokhtar, Jonathan*; Almarzooqi, Shaikha MBBS†; Alhammadi, Fatima*; Mendonca, Derek Amith FRCS (Plastic)*,‡. Pilot Study: RoboticScope (Robotic Microscope)–assisted Primary Cleft Palate Surgery. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open 13(5):p e6744, May 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000006744