Intraoperative Image-Guided Surgery for Gliomas in the Smart Cyber Operating Theater (SCOT): A Preliminary Clinical Application

Background Various devices exist for glioma image-guided surgery to improve tumor resection. These devices work as stand-alone units, making the flow of operative information complicated and disjointed. A novel networked operating room, the Smart Cyber Operating Theater (SCOT), has been developed, integrating stand-alone medical devices using the OPeLiNK communication interface. We report and evaluate the impact of SCOT for glioma surgery and our initial experiences. Methods Patients with gliomas who underwent tumor resection in SCOT between July 2018 and June 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Various types of intraoperative information were integrated, managed, and shared with the surgical strategy desk using OPeLiNK. Patients’ demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment details, and outcomes were obtained. The impact of the SCOT system was evaluated. Results Twenty-seven patients, with a mean age of 48.6 years (range, 13–88 years), met the inclusion criteria. We successfully completed all the surgical procedures using SCOT. The mean operation time was 420.6 minutes (range, 225–667 minutes).Gross total resection was accomplished in 13 patients (48.1%), subtotal resection in 4 (14.8%), and partial resection in 10 (37.0%). The main surgeon in the operating room and other neurosurgeons at the strategy desk shared and discussed the information in real time during the procedures. Conclusions The use of SCOT was shown to be safe and feasible in glioma surgery. This study suggests that SCOT may improve surgical outcomes and educational impact by sharing information in real time with the strategy desk.