New minimal invasive technology needs validation

Minimal invasive technologies such as laparoscopy and robot-assisted surgeries needed to be validated by medical professional groups, according to Prof. Clement-Claude Abbou during his lecture last week at the Plenary Session 3.

"The 'two big' associations should establish projects for validation of the new technologies in order not to be the slave of any current or new robot," Abbou said in his concluding remarks and after providing an overview of the development of minimal invasive surgery (MIS) in the last two decades.

Abbou also said that MIS techniques such as laparoscopic and robotic surgery are "...here to stay and to be developed without EBM (evidence-based medicine)." He made the assertion after noting that the hype or massive promotion behind the daVinci robot has created a demand among patients.

With the rapid use or adaption of robotic techonology in medicine, Abbou said that it was "unfortunate" that the rules for validation of these technologies were "not followed" compared to the more rigid validation process on new drugs.

He also urged urologists to practice caution or observed a more neutral tone when dealing with patients whose expectations regarding surgical outcomes from robot-assisted procedures are unnecessarily high.

"Remember to maintain a neutral attitude, and to describe an objective process of the procedure to your patients so as to avoid pushing their hopes and expectations too high," warned Abbou.