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Doctors from the Scottish region and America have performed what is believed to be a historic stroke surgery using a robot.

Prof Iris Grunwald, from a research center, conducted the distant clot removal - the extraction of vascular blockages post a brain attack - on a donated body that had been donated to medical science.

The professor was positioned in a major hospital in the location, while the specimen being treated with the device was across the city at the research facility.

Subsequently, a neurosurgeon from the US location used the technology to perform the initial intercontinental procedure from his American facility on a medical specimen in Dundee over significant distance away.

The team has described it as a potential "revolutionary development" if it receives authorization for use on patients.

The medics think this technology could change stroke treatment, as a limited availability of expert care can have a major influence on the chances of recovery.

"It seemed like we were witnessing the first glimpse of the coming era," said the medical expert.

"While in the past this was regarded as theoretical concept, we showed that each phase of the procedure can already be done."

The Scottish institution is the worldwide teaching facility of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, and is the sole location in the UK where surgeons can work with medical specimens with human blood circulated in the arteries to mimic treatment on a living person.

"This represented the pioneering moment that we could conduct the complete clot removal operation in a real human body to demonstrate that every phase of the surgery are possible," explained Prof Grunwald.

A healthcare leader, the director of a stroke charity, described the long-distance operation as "a significant breakthrough".

"Over extended periods, people living in countryside locations have been limited in obtaining to thrombectomy," she added.

"This type of automation could rebalance the inequity which exists in stroke treatment nationwide."

How does the technology work?

An blockage stroke happens when an blood vessel is obstructed by a blockage.

This disrupts circulation and oxygenation to the brain, and brain cells lose function and die.

The best treatment is a surgical extraction, where a specialist uses surgical tools to clear the obstruction.

But what happens when a patient is unable to reach a expert who can perform the surgery?

The medical expert said the trial showed a robot could be linked with the identical medical instruments a doctor would typically employ, and a healthcare professional who is attending the case could easily connect the instruments.

The expert, in a separate site, could then manipulate and control their individual tools, and the mechanical device then performs precisely identical actions in real time on the individual to conduct the thrombectomy.

The subject would be in a treatment center, while the surgeon could conduct the surgery using the automated equipment from any place - even their personal residence.

Prof Grunwald and the neurosurgeon could see live X-rays of the subject in the trials, and observe results in immediate feedback, with the Dundee expert stating it took just a brief period of preparation.

Major corporations Nvidia and Ericsson were participated in the research to secure the network connection of the mechanical device.

"To conduct procedures from the US to Britain with a 120 millisecond lag - an instant - is truly remarkable," commented Dr Hanel.

Innovations in cerebral healthcare

The lead researcher, who has been honored for her work and is also the executive member of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, explained there were two main problems with a standard thrombectomy - a worldwide deficiency of doctors who can do it, and treatment depends on your location.

In the Scottish nation, there are just three locations individuals can receive the procedure - three major cities. If you reside elsewhere, you must commute.

"The procedure is very time sensitive," stated the lead researcher.

"Every six minutes delay, you have a one percent reduced probability of having a positive result.

"This technology would now offer a novel approach where you're not reliant upon where you dwell - preserving the valuable minutes where your brain is degenerating."

Healthcare information revealed there were {9,625 ischaemic strokes|numerous cerebral events|