VOA标准英语2010年-When Your Surgeon is a Robot

Artificial intelligence may soon control robots performing routine medical procedures

Smitha Raghunathan | Washington, DC 10 August 2010

 
Photo: Sgt 1st Class Roger J. Mommaerts Jr./ US Army
Doctors perform surgery using a robotic system.

Doctors routinely use robotic devices to assist them during surgery. But what if there were no longer doctors sitting at the controls of these machines?

It could happen. Researchers are exploring the use of robots with artificial intelligence to perform routine medical procedures.

Robots perform biopsies

Needle biopsies are often used to diagnose various types of cancer preventing unnecessary surgery if the tissue is deemed benign¹.

During this procedure, the doctor inserts a hollow needle into the tissue, obtaining a sample of the suspect cells.

But researchers at Duke University say that computer imaging technology combined with robotic artificial intelligence, or AI, may soon free doctors from having to perform this routine procedure.

"We first tried to simulate a breast tumor² biopsy," says Stephen Smith, professor of biomedical engineering, radiology and medical physics at the North Carolina school. "So we make an image of a turkey breast, and inside that turkey breast we made a simulated tumor by inserting a grape into the turkey breast."

Smith says experiments with the AI system have shown that it can accurately³ manage these simple surgical⁴ procedures.

"So then we make a 3D ultrasound image of that turkey breast. And we then send the image to a computer, and the computer has artificial intelligence, so it finds the center of the tumor and the computer then tells the robot where to insert the needle."

Smith says that this system can locate and obtain a biopsy within two millimeters of the center of these simulated tumors.

The system can also be adapted to obtain evenly spaced samples across the entire tissue. This procedure is important for diagnosing diseases like prostate cancer, where specific elevated protein levels without the presence of a tumor can warrant a biopsy.

Intelligent robots go where doctors don't

Smith believes the technology can eventually be used in developing countries, where doctors, especially radiologists, might not be available. This allows early diagnosis⁵ that could help save lives.

"What we envision is a mobile van that would go from town to town, and the patients would get an x-ray mammogram, and if there was a lesion seen in artificial intelligence in the x-ray, then they would have a 3D ultrasound scan. And again, if the lesion was visualized⁶ by the computer, then the robot would take a biopsy."

The entire procedure currently takes one minute to complete. But, with faster computers and more flexible robots, Smith says that a minute can be reduced to seconds, during which a patient can hold his or her breath while the needle biopsy is performed.

Future of robotic surgery

Dr. Vipul Patel of the Society of Robotic Surgery says that this technology is very exciting. He's cautiously optimistic that it will pave the way to easier, less painful and more precise surgery.

"Ultimately, I guess, the goal is to have surgeries somewhat computerized and automated⁷, where the robot, well the machine, would do the surgery, through minimal⁸ or no incision," says Patel.

He notes that doctors have already begun moving in that direction.

"The first step was the introduction of robotic surgery into urology and prostate cancer and it's become the standard. Eighty-five percent of patients get their surgeries done robotically now. We would not have thought that possible a decade ago."

The technology is being fine-tuned, and computer-located tumors are being compared to lesions found by a radiologist.

Smith says clinical trials could be underway in three to five years, and hopes the device will be commercially available within a decade.

 

1 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

2 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

3 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

4 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

5 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

6 visualized   

直观的，直视的

参考例句：

• I had visualized scientists as bearded old men. 我曾经把科学家想像成长满胡子的老人。
• "I visualized mangled and inadequate branches for my fires. 我想像中出现了砍得乱七八糟的树枝子，供不上壁炉烧的。 来自名作英译部分

7 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

8 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。