South Korean medical device innovations are now delivering treatment results comparable to robotic surgery, but at a lower cost, using laparoscopic instruments. Livsmed said its articulating laparoscopic surgical instrument, ArtiSential, demonstrated clinical outcomes comparable to those of robotic surgery in rectal cancer procedures.
The company described the study as the world’s first large-scale, multicentre prospective study, involving 740 patients across seven major tertiary hospitals in Korea.
The study was co-led by Professor Huh Jung-wook of the Department of Surgery at Samsung Medical Centre and Professor Yoon Yong-sik of the Department of Surgery at Asan Medical Centre, both of whom served as corresponding authors.
Conducted over nearly three years, from August 2022 to July 2024, the study analysed data from 740 rectal cancer patients who underwent low anterior resection at tertiary hospitals nationwide.
According to the findings, patients who underwent surgery with ArtiSential achieved favourable outcomes across key clinical indicators, including tumour resection precision, surgical safety and postoperative complication rates.
Livsmed said: ‘The results demonstrate that ArtiSential alone can secure sufficiently safe and precise oncologic outcomes even in highly complex rectal cancer surgeries.’
The company added that average out-of-pocket patient costs were about 3.3 million won ($2,210), roughly one-fifth of the cost of conventional robotic surgery platforms.
Livsmed also reported that surgical time averaged 126 minutes with ArtiSential, compared with 153 minutes for robotic surgery.
Building on the articulating technology platform used in ArtiSential, Livsmed said it plans to launch its next-generation surgical robotic system, Stark.
Lee Jung-joo, CEO of Livsmed, said: ‘Technology that began with ArtiSential will evolve into the next-generation surgical robot Stark and set a new global standard for surgery. We aim to create a medical environment where more patients can benefit from advanced surgical care.’
Professor Huh, the study’s principal investigator, described the findings as ‘a landmark achievement’, demonstrating for the first time that a Korean-developed articulating surgical instrument could deliver safety and oncological outcomes comparable to those of robotic surgery.
He said: ‘The study is especially meaningful because it opens the door for patients to receive the benefits of advanced surgery even in environments where access to expensive robotic systems is limited.’
