title: Computer-assisted transoral surgery with flexible robotics and navigation technologies: a review of recent progress and research challenges.
abstract: This article reviews the flexible robotic surgery and navigation technologies that are currently available and under research development, in particular for transoral robotic surgery, in both broad and narrow senses. The clinical background, classifications, associated biomedical robotics applications, and surgical outcomes are illustrated in this new paradigm of minimally invasive surgery. The state-of-the-art robotic and navigation systems for transoral procedures are reviewed by identifying their key properties and considerations. The use of different materials and actuation methods by current robotic systems offers various movements for different purposes, and their characteristics are compared. The future research trends of robotic and navigation systems for transoral procedures are discussed in terms of emerging new material, actuation, and sensing technologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Robotics Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Hongliang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (ENT), National University Hospital, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chwee Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Robotics Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Jiaole
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Robotics Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Robotics Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Robotics Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Robotics Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Geraint
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.affiliation: College of Engineering, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
authors.forename: Zion Tsz Ho
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Robotics Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Zeqi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*