A Feasible Workflow for Retinal Vein Cannulation in Ex Vivo Porcine Eyes with Robotic Assistance

Abstract: A potential Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO) treatment involves Retinal Vein Cannulation (RVC), which requires the surgeon to insert a microneedle into the affected retinal vein and administer a clot-dissolving drug. This procedure presents significant challenges due to human physiological limitations, such as hand tremors, prolonged tool-holding periods, and constraints in depth perception using a microscope. This study proposes a robot-assisted workflow for RVC to overcome these limitations. The test robot is operated through a keyboard. An intraoperative Optical Coherence Tomography (iOCT) system is used to verify successful venous puncture before infusion. The workflow is validated using 12 ex vivo porcine eyes. These early results demonstrate a successful rate of 10 out of 12 cannulations (83.33%), affirming the feasibility of the proposed workflow.