A team of pancreatic surgeons from Hôpital Privé Jean Mermoz in Lyon, France, recently concluded a five-day visit, from January 11 to 15, to the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (FAH-SYSU) in Guangzhou, Guangdong. They engaged in in-depth discussions and observations on robotic-assisted pancreatic surgical techniques and their clinical applications.
The French team, comprising three surgeons and a senior robotic surgery nurse, specializes in pancreatic surgery and performs over 100 such procedures annually, ranking among the top centers in France. "The annual volume of robotic surgeries remains at approximately thirty cases," said Dr. Raphaël Bourdariat.
The Chinese surgical team, led by Professor Yin, has performed more than 1,300 robotic hepatobiliary and pancreatic operations, including nearly 850 pancreatic procedures, a volume that places them among the most experienced in the world.
Professor Yin Xiaoyu led the French team during ward rounds at the hospital.
During their stay in Guangzhou, the French surgeons observed several robotic pancreatic operations performed by the Chinese team, including a groundbreaking remote surgery conducted on a patient located over 700 kilometers away, a technology not yet implemented in France or the United States.
"We were struck by the extraordinary dynamism of Chinese medicine and the modern organization of the hospital," said Dr. Raphaël Bourdariat. "This hospital is clearly one of the world leaders in robotic pancreatic surgery."
The visiting medical delegation from France observed Professor Yin Xiaoyu performing robotic pancreatic surgery.
Dr. Raphaël Bourdariat noted that upon returning to France, his team plans to pursue two key initiatives: first, to acquire a Chinese-made surgical robot and explore the possibility of remote surgery collaborations with Prof. Yin's team; and second, to invite Professor Yin to France to share his expertise at national surgical conferences.
"The number of pancreatic diseases is increasing globally," said Dr. Raphaël Bourdariat. "We need international cooperation between China and France to conduct more scientific and clinical collaborations together."
Reporter | Chen Jinxia, Yang Ling (intern)
Photo | The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
Editor | Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
