Yonsei University Holds the World's Most Research Papers on Robotic Surgery

Robot surgery scene. Photo by Severance Hospital

Yonsei University has been recognized as the institution that has published the most research papers on robotic surgery worldwide.

According to the international academic journal 'Journal of Robotic Surgery' on the 20th, Yonsei University published 196 research papers related to robotic surgery over the past decade, making it the institution with the highest number of robotic surgery publications globally.

The study investigated citation counts and other metrics for 9,432 robotic surgery research papers registered in the academic database 'Web of Science' from 2014 to 2023. Yonsei University published the most papers with 196, and its papers were cited 3,635 times, ranking among the top.

Ham Won-sik, Director of the Robotic Endoscopic Surgery Center at Severance Hospital, said, "Yonsei University Medical Center's Severance Hospital recorded 40,000 robotic surgeries in 2023 as the first single medical institution, demonstrating outstanding clinical performance," adding, "A virtuous cycle is emerging where excellent clinical results lead to research achievements."

Since performing Korea's first robotic surgery at Severance Hospital in 2005, Yonsei University Medical Center has conducted 55,047 robotic surgeries to date. The affiliated institutions in Sinchon, Gangnam, and Yongin possess a total of 15 surgical robots. Robotic surgeries have been performed across various clinical departments including urology, thyroid endocrine surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, otolaryngology, colorectal surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, thoracic surgery, and breast surgery.

Additionally, new surgical techniques have been introduced or developed to expand the scope and applications of robotic surgery. The thyroid endocrine surgery department devised a surgical method using the da Vinci SP (Single Port), which bundles four robotic arms into a single port, reducing incision length and allowing incisions along the natural folds of the armpit. The otolaryngology department developed and utilizes a transoral robotic surgery technique that inserts robotic arms through the mouth to operate on laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers.

Based on these achievements, Yonsei University Medical Center established Korea's first 'Robotic Surgery Training Center' at Severance Hospital in 2008, providing robotic surgery training to many domestic and international medical professionals. In 2021, it was designated by Intuitive Surgical, the world's largest robotic surgery company, as the world's first 'SP Robotic Surgery Specialized Training Center.'