J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 91(9): 1158-1161, 1990

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Report on the annual meeting

MICROMACHINES ; NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND TOOLS FOR FUTURE SURGERY

Advances in the field of surgery have frequently been closely related to the development of new materials, tools, technologies and methodologies. Recently, the technological breakthrough in manufacturing micromachines of diameter 100μm to about 10μm has opened new areas of application for man made devices within the human body.
Micromachine allows a direct conversion of electrical or hydrodynamical energy into mechanical energy or vice versa, on a scale of about 1μm. This scale of precision makes micromachines especially appealing in considering manipulations within the blood vessels or body cavities, or at the individual cell level. With the availability of this kind of micromachines, it is possible to develop so called "Cellular Surgery".
In order to adapt micromachines to the surgical applicaton, however, several advancements in their manufacturing technology would be required. This includes the development of other materials for micromachine manufacturing, such as biodegradable materials, as well as those of high magnetic permeability or electric conductivity. Moreover, the micromachines should be available to disperse in the aqueous solution as means of introducing them into the body.
Today, as in the past, the rapid advancements in material science bring about exciting new prospects in the area of artificial organs and surgery.

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