Use of the EndoMaster robot‐assisted surgical system in transoral robotic surgery: A cadaveric study

BACKGROUND: The EndoMaster is a novel robot-assisted surgical system originally designed for endoscopic resection of gastrointestinal polyps and tumours. It incorporates two robotic arms (a grasper and a probe for monopolar diathermy) into the end of a flexible endoscope, creating improved manoeuvrability, with two arms allowing for 9 degrees of movement and triangulation; this enables fine manipulation and dissection of tissues. METHODS: The EndoMaster was used in two human cadavers to perform 4 radical tonsillectomies to evaluate its performance in transoral robotic surgery (TORS). RESULTS: The EndoMaster allowed for good visualization of the surgical field and its compact form factor allowed for quick docking and avoided the problem of clashing of the working arms. CONCLUSION: The EndoMaster system shows promising potential for use in TORS. Further refinements to movements of the effector arms are required.