Innovation advances laparoscopic surgery

Continuing changes to the surgical landscape are happening with TransEnterix’s SPIDER Surgical System. A set of minimally invasive instruments for surgeons, the SPIDER MicroLap instruments includes all of the familiar tools surgeons use during laparoscopic procedures – only each instrument is 2.7mm or less in diameter. Typically, laparoscopic surgical instruments range in diameter size from 5mm to 10mm.

The extremely small size of the instruments means that instead of needing a scalpel to make necessary incisions, the surgeon uses only a special skin incision pick. In addition, the patient comes away from the procedure with just a freckle-like mark.

“TransEnterix is on a mission – we advance health care by reducing the invasiveness of surgery for patients and by enhancing the capabilities of surgeons,” says Todd M. Pope, president and CEO. “The new SPIDER MicroLap instrument line gives surgeons highly functional tools so they can perform advanced yet minimally invasive procedures like gastric band and gastric sleeve. As part of our focus in bariatric surgery, we anticipate that surgeons and patients will quickly embrace these smaller and less invasive tools.”

Because their use requires no open incision, the SPIDER MicroLap instruments advance the field of laparoscopic surgery into an entirely new category – micro-laparoscopic surgery. Although competitors sell some instruments that are less than 5mm in diameter, TransEnterix’s SPIDER MicroLap instrument line is the only complete and re-useable set of sub-3mm instruments.


Instrument Revolution

Crafted from a proprietary ceramic-titanium alloy that ensures strength despite their small diameter, TransEnterix’s SPIDER MicroLap instruments can be used independently or in conjunction with TransEnterix’s SPIDER Surgical System, the only single-incision and multi-port surgical system that delivers intra-abdominal triangulation, 360º flexible instrumentation and a stable operative platform. Using both systems together, surgeons can perform advanced procedures through less invasive means.

“One surgeon told us that when his patient came in after SPIDER MicroLap surgery neither of them could even locate the tiny incisions,” Pope states.


System Revolution, Too
At the same time it launched its SPIDER MicroLap tools, TransEnterix introduced the next generation of its SPIDER Surgical System. This current version of the single-incision, multi-port, triangulating system today delivers several key advances – including increased strength for dissecting and retracting tissue, added precision through new endo-mechanical arms that move and control instruments, improved ergonomics through a modified surgeon interface, and optimized reach for a wide range of patient types and operative tasks. The ability to vary reach within the abdomen within the abdomen is particularly important in minimally invasive surgeries to treat obesity, like gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy.

The advanced SPIDER System provides intra-abdominal triangulation via a single site, true-left and true-right hand instrumentation, and 360º motion with flexible instruments. The low-profile diameter remains set at 18mm.

“One thing all surgeons have in common is their drive to constantly seek out new and better ways to successfully treat patients while minimizing the invasiveness of surgery,” says Luke M. Roush, vice president of global marketing. “The new SPIDER Surgical System works to maintain the principals of gold standard laparoscopic surgery – such as intra-abdominal triangulation – in a way that is less invasive for patients and more effective for surgeons.”

The SPIDER System addresses problems that surgeons frequently encounter when using other, less-sophisticated single-incision systems by opening up and expanding within the patient’s abdomen, like an umbrella. This allows surgeons to readily triangulate instruments and safely accomplish many tasks from one small incision.


TransEnterix
Research Triangle Park, NC
transenterix.com