Results from a prospective, multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the Panvis-A neurointerventional robotic system (Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Biomedical Robot [Abrobo])—led by researchers in China—have been published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS), demonstrating that the system is both safe and effective, and can cut primary operators’ radiation exposure by 96% while maintaining procedural performance.
According to an Abrobo press release, this publication also marks the first time a China-developed vascular interventional robot has gained recognition from a premier, international neurointerventional journal.
For the non-inferiority RCT—designed and executed in “strict accordance” with regulatory and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines—researchers enrolled 128 patients undergoing diagnostic cerebral angiography, with 63 being randomised to robot assistance and 65 randomised to conventional manual operation.
“Traditional neurovascular procedures rely entirely on manual manipulation, exposing operators to chronic radiation and limiting precision,” the researchers stated. “Although robotic systems have entered cardiovascular interventions, neurointervention imposes far greater demands—intricate anatomy, tortuous vessels, and operative paths exceeding 70cm from femoral access to intracranial targets.”
Abrobo’s release goes on to detail that, in an effort to address these issues, the company joined forces with leading clinicians to create the Panvis-A system. The platform features the proprietary Panvis catheter-on-finger (COF) fingertip-catheter interface, which replicates combined guidewire rotation and catheter advancement in an “intuitive manner”. In addition, a multi-instrument collaborative drive enables sub-millimetric control over long cerebral trajectories, covering the entire workflow from sheath insertion to final angiographic runs and setting a “new benchmark” for neurointerventional robotics.
The Panvis-A system gained market authorisation from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in August 2024.
The recently published RCT revealed that safety and efficacy outcomes were non-inferior to the manual approach utilised in the trial, with a 100% rate of clinical success being observed in both groups, while technical success—as per successful super-selective cannulation of all target vessels—was also achieved in both arms, validating the robotic system’s adaptability to complex neuroanatomies.
In addition, the researchers found a 96% reduction in physicians’ radiation exposure, indicated by average primary-operator radiation doses of 1.67μSv in the robotic group versus 43.63μSv in the manual group. This, they believe, demonstrates the Panvis-A system’s ability to offer a “revolutionary” safeguard for physician occupational health.
Other key findings of the study relate to efficiency and patient feedback, with Abrobo claiming that the system was able to balance operational efficiency with positive patient experiences. Setup times were seen to be longer in the trial’s robotics arm (34.59 minutes) compared to the manual arm (24.44 minutes), but this “did not compromise overall patient experience”, while no significant between-group differences in puncture-to-catheter removal time, target-vessel selection time, or fluoroscopy time, were observed. In addition, data on patient radiation dose and contrast volume proved to be comparable, ruling out concerns over trading patient risks for doctors’ protection, according to the researchers.
“This study provides high-level evidence that Panvis-A can dramatically lower physician radiation exposure without compromising safety or efficiency, paving the way for standardised, intelligent neurointervention,” they added.
Abrobo states that, to address current limitations of the system—including slightly longer setup times and modest sample sizes seen to date—it has already introduced integrated sterile consumables to cut setup times to less than 10 minutes, and upgraded its delivery system for stenting and thrombectomy. In addition, its next-generation Panvis Star technology has completed a first-in-human study and is entering regulatory submission.
The RCT recently published in JNIS was led by Liu Jianmin (Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, China) in collaboration with Sun Jun (Wenzhou Central Hospital, Wenzhou, China), Chen Wenhuo (Zhangzhou Municipal Hospital of Fujian Province, Zhangzhou, China) and Cheng Guangsen (Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai, China).
