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In modern surgery, timely detection and removal of cancer is a major challenge for surgeons.Traditional methods often rely on postoperative pathological examinations to determine whether the resected specimens contain cancer cells, however such delays can lead to uncertainty during the procedure and the necessity of repeated surgery.With the advancement of technology, a revolutionary "smart knife" has emerged. It can not only perform cutting, but also instantly analyze tissue samples during the surgery to provide accurate diagnostic information.
Smart knife surgery is not limited only to cancer detection.
Principle of smart tool operation
The smart tool (iKnife) is based on the "rapid evaporation ionization mass spectrometry" (REIMS) technology.When the scalpel comes into contact with the tissue, it instantly analyzes the chemical composition of the tissue and submits instant data to the surgeon, allowing it to make informed decisions during the surgery.The technology has been tested in several hospitals since 2010 and is impressive in accuracy, enabling the identification of benign and malignant tumor tissues during surgery.
The instrument has been acquired by the Massachusetts Waters Corporation for development by MediMass Ltd., which identifies it as substantial innovative technology.
Definition and historical review
The inventor of smart knives is Hungarian research chemist Zoltán Takáts. He has conducted many years of experiments in his research in Switzerland and has greatly promoted the analysis of tumor samples.Since the 1970s, mass spectrometry has achieved direct inspection of biological tissues, but due to technical limitations at the time, it was impossible to provide meaningful information on chemical composition.With the development of desorption ionization technology, the application of mass spectrometry has gradually deepened, especially its value in clinical diagnosis has become increasingly prominent.
Advantages and Applications of REIMS Technology
REIMS technology has revolutionized surgery.It can complete tissue analysis in a few dozen seconds, with accuracy of up to 92%, which is crucial to the timeliness and effectiveness of the surgical process.When a surgeon uses smart knives for surgery, the mass spectrometry analysis software will instantly compare and analyze the incoming data, visualize the results or promptly feed them to the doctor with sound prompts, which greatly improves the accuracy of tumor resection.
The analysis of the collected spectra is made of special-evaluation software, which was developed for this purpose.
Successful Case of Clinical Test
In various clinical studies, smart knives have shown extremely high sensitivity and specificity in their ability to distinguish tissues.For example, in the comparison of ovarian tissues, the comparison results of smart knives showed a sensitivity of 97.4% and a specificity of 100%.For the difference between breast tumors and normal tissues, the accuracy rate reaches 90.9% sensitivity and 98.8% specificity. These data show the huge potential of smart knives in clinical applications.
Future research and development direction
Smart knives represent an important direction for future surgery, not only limited to cancer detection, but may also cover the diagnosis of other tumors.As the technology advances, scientists hope to further improve its accuracy and scope of application, and continue to conduct more clinical experiments to explore its application potential in different pathological situations.
Faced with this breakthrough medical technology, we can’t help but wonder: Will smart knives become the standard equipment for future surgical procedures and effectively change the traditional surgical model?
