A Knowledge-Based Graphical Interface For Modeling Surgical Workflows In Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery

This paper presents a knowledge-based graphical interface for modelling surgical workflows in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (R-A MIS). The interface provides an effortless way for the surgeon to generate a preoperative protocol for the surgery, while the knowledge base adds semantic information and rules to the surgery-specific ontologies. The surgeon can either modify a pre-existing prototype workflow for a known type of R-A MIS surgery or create a completely new surgical workflow for unknown types of R-A MIS. The workflow consists of phases and steps in consecutive order, incorporating anatomies, instruments and actions that the surgeon can modify. Any modification adheres to the rules of the knowledge base where information of incorporated robotic interactions is included. The interface is built as a web application that can be operated through a computer or portable device. The interface had positive reviews by orthopedic surgeons that were requested to create surgical workflows for R-A MIS arthroscopic procedures and evaluate its usability.