A major medical breakthrough was achieved recently in Greece, where a patient was successfully operated on for the first time by a surgeon located 8,000 kilometers away in Wuhan, China.
The procedure—a radical prostatectomy on a patient in Athens diagnosed with prostate cancer—was performed via telemedicine and robotic systems. At the helm was Dr. Evangelos Liatsikos, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Urology Clinic at the University Hospital of Patras.
“To be somewhere so far away, and operating on a human being is incredible”
Speaking to Greece’s state broadcaster (ERT), Dr. Liatsikos—who is scheduled to perform a similar remote surgery this week on a patient in Athens while stationed in Patras—hailed the massive technological leap. “To be somewhere so far away, sitting in a room in your suit and tie, and operating on a human being is incredible,” he remarked.
He explained that safety measures were strictly in place: “In Athens, a local medical team was standby, ready to take over the patient immediately in case of an emergency, like a sudden earthquake.”
“The most mind-blowing part was that there was absolutely zero lag—it felt as if I were standing right next to him,” Dr. Liatsikos added.
This seamless connection was achieved via dedicated network lines. “The Chinese team secured the connection from China to Frankfurt, and we linked it from there to Athens,” the Greek doctor explained. He noted that fiber-optic cables have now surpassed satellite capabilities for this type of work. “The robotic technology existed, but now network infrastructure can finally support it.”
Technology will revolutionize global healthcare
According to Dr. Liatsikos, this technology will revolutionize medical training and global healthcare. “We used to only see this in movies. The logic behind robotic telemedicine is to train surgeons without traveling and to perform surgeries remotely. And this is just the beginning.”
As for the patient, Dr. Liatsikos noted that he was “fully informed and incredibly excited to be a part of this pioneering moment.”
Looking ahead, the professor expects these remote surgeries to become commonplace. “This process started tentatively over the past year, but you will see a lot more of it in the future. Until now, telemedicine was diagnostic; now, it is therapeutic. The original concept behind American robotic surgical systems was to treat soldiers on the battlefield, but connectivity limitations held it back. What we are seeing now is truly spectacular.”
Dr. Liatsikos concluded by emphasizing that technology knows no borders, adding, “Greece boasts top-tier medical professionals. Whatever advanced technology exists abroad is available in our country as well.”
Related: AI Trained on Greek Hospital Data Predicts Surgery Risks With 94% Accuracy
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