Fireside Lectures on Classic Robotic HPB Surgery: From the Sparkling of Sparks to the Spreading of Prairie Blazes: In Memory of Professor Ningxin Zhou

This book presents a collection of case reviews on robotic HPB (Hepato-pancreato-biliary) surgeries contributed by distinguished surgical experts and robotics engineers. Each case is accompanied by photographs and discussions to facilitate understanding of the presented projects and techniques. The book not only presents practical robotic HPB surgery techniques, but also offers experts’ reflections and perspectives on the future of robotic surgeries and surgical robotics.

Serving as a collection in memory of Prof. Ningxin Zhou, a pioneer of robotic HPB surgery in China, it illustrates the development and success of Prof. Zhou’s study of surgical robotics and his explorations in combining surgery with engineering. The book is a valuable resource for practitioners and researchers in the medical field and engineering alike.

Prof. Anusak Yiengpruksawan (1952 - 2023) was the former director at the Institute for Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Valley Hospital. Dr. Yieng was trained in gastrointestinal cancer surgery at the Toranomon Hospital, Japan. He has performed more than 650 robotic procedures and is internationally recognized for his skills in endoscopic ultrasound, minimally invasive surgery, and robotic surgery.

Prof. R. Matthew Walsh graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1985. He works in Cleveland, Ohio, and specializes in General Surgery and Internal Medicine. He has served in the Department of General Surgery at Cleveland Clinic for more than 20 years following his training in Chicago, Boston, and finally under Robert Hermann, M.D., at Cleveland Clinic as an HPB surgery fellow.

Prof. Paolo Dario is a professor of Biomedical Engineering and the director of the BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA), Italy. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pisa, Italy. He is the founding coordinator of the Center of Micro-BioRobotics at SSSA of the Italian Institute of Technology. He has also edited 2 books and authored more than 500 scientific papers.

Prof. Chenghong Peng is the former director of the General Surgery Department of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a tenured professor of Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, and fellow of American College of Surgeons. He serves as editorial board members of several academic journals. He has published more than 300 research articles in domestic and international journals.

Prof. Shuxin Wang is currently an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the president of Chongqing University, China. His research interests include intelligent robot technology, dynamics, and control of the mechanical system and advanced manufacturing technology. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and owns several patents.

Prof. Ningxin Zhou (1952 - 2016) was the former director of the Institute of Hepatobiliary and Gastrointestinal Disease of PLA Rocket Force Characteristic Medical Center. He had worked in the field of hepatobiliary surgery for more than 40 years and is an expert in complicated hepatobiliary surgeries. He began robotic surgery in 2009 and had since successfully performed several complicated robotic surgeries such as robotic left hemihepatectomy, hilar cholangiocarcinoma resection, Whipple, and resection of body-tail pancreatectomy. He was the founding member and the president of the Clinical Robotic Surgery Association (CRSA) in China.