What until recently sounded like a combination of an operating room and a control console has become a reality at Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The urology department has begun performing, for the first time in Israel, procedures to break up kidney and urinary tract stones using the ILY robotic system, which allows the surgeon to control the ureteroscope through a wireless controller.
Instead of holding the flexible ureteroscope manually for a prolonged period, the surgeon can sit at a control station and operate the robot remotely. The system does not replace the physician’s judgment or the surgeon’s work. Rather, it enables more precise and stable control of the ureteroscope inside the urinary system, particularly during laser stone fragmentation.
How does the ILY robot help crush kidney stones at Shaare Zedek in Jerusalem?
The system is designed for endoscopic procedures in which the kidney is reached through the body’s natural urinary passages, without the need for a surgical incision. Using the wireless controller, the surgeon can navigate the flexible ureteroscope gently and steadily, reach the stone and break it apart with a laser.
The system was developed by the French technology company STERLAB in cooperation with leading research institutions. Shaare Zedek says that beyond precision, the technology also changes the surgeon’s working conditions: it allows parts of the procedure to be performed while seated, reduces physical strain during lengthy procedures and can also allow the surgeon to move farther from the radiation source when fluoroscopy is used.
Dr. Ilan Kafka, head of the Endourology Unit at Shaare Zedek, who performed several procedures using the system this week, explained: “The robot does not replace the surgeon, but rather gives the surgeon a powerful and intuitive tool that provides a level of control, stability and ergonomics that we have not had before. The combination of advanced control technology that is easily operated with a wireless controller and our medical expertise enables us to perform complex procedures with maximum safety, maximum precision and while protecting the health of both the team and the patient.”
Can a wireless controller change the way kidney procedures are performed?
One of the system’s most notable innovations is the ability to operate it intuitively without significantly changing the standard workflow in the operating room. Shaare Zedek says the system requires only a short setup time, while preliminary studies have reported high levels of effectiveness and safety in the treatment of kidney stones.
The ILY system joins a series of new technologies introduced by the urology department at the medical center, including an artificial intelligence-based system for the treatment of enlarged prostate.
Prof. Boris Chertin, director of the Urology Department at Shaare Zedek, said: “Introducing the ILY system for the first clinical use in Israel is another layer in Shaare Zedek Medical Center’s pursuit of excellence and its ability to lead the forefront of medical innovation in urology, bring futuristic technologies into the operating room and provide patients with the most advanced and safest medical care.”
