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Doctors from Scotland and America have accomplished what is believed to be a pioneering brain operation employing automated systems.

Prof Iris Grunwald, working at a research center, executed the long-distance surgery - the extraction of circulatory obstructions post a cerebral event - on a donated body that had been donated to medical science.

The surgeon was located at a medical facility in Dundee, while the subject undergoing procedure via the device was at another location at the research facility.

Hours later, a medical specialist from Florida employed the equipment to carry out the initial intercontinental procedure from his American facility on a human body in Dundee over 4,000 miles away.

The research collective has described it as a potential "game changer" if it becomes approved for use on patients.

The doctors consider this system could change stroke treatment, as a slow access to expert care can have a direct impact on the healing potential.

"The experience was we were witnessing the early preview of the future," commented Prof Grunwald.

"Whereas before this was thought to be futuristic fantasy, we showed that every step of the operation can currently be accomplished."

The medical research center is the international education hub of the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, and is the exclusive site in the UK where surgeons can work with donated bodies with biological fluid circulated in the blood pathways to replicate operations on a living person.

"This represented the pioneering moment that we could perform the complete clot removal operation in a real human body to show that all steps of the procedure are achievable," said the primary researcher.

Juliet Bouverie, the director of a health foundation, called the long-distance operation as "an extraordinary advancement".

"Over extended periods, people living in countryside locations have been deprived of access to surgical intervention," she continued.

"This type of automation could correct the imbalance which occurs in medical intervention nationwide."

How does the system function?

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

This cuts off blood and oxygen supply to the cerebral tissue, and brain cells lose function and expire.

The optimal therapy is a clot removal, where a specialist uses catheters and wires to clear the obstruction.

But what occurs when a patient can't get to a professional who can perform the surgery?

The medical expert said the trial showed a robot could be attached to the identical medical instruments a doctor would normally use, and a medical staff who is present with the individual could simply attach the instruments.

The specialist, in a different place, could then manipulate and control their personal instruments, and the mechanical device then carries out comparable motions in live timing on the subject to perform the thrombectomy.

The patient would be in a hospital operating room, while the doctor could perform the procedure using the technological system from any place - even their private dwelling.

The medical expert and the neurosurgeon could observe live X-rays of the body in the studies, and track developments in real time, with the Dundee expert explaining it took just a brief period of instruction.

Technology companies Nvidia and Ericsson were participated in the initiative to secure the network connection of the robot.

"To operate from the America to Scotland with a minimal delay - a blink of an eye - is absolutely amazing," stated Dr Hanel.

The future of stroke treatment

The lead researcher, who has won an award for her work and is also the senior official of the international medical organization, explained there were primary challenges with a traditional procedure - a international lack of doctors who can conduct it, and treatment depends on your physical place.

In the Scottish nation, there are only three places individuals can receive the procedure - three major cities. If you reside elsewhere, you must travel.

"The treatment is very time sensitive," said the lead researcher.

"Every six minutes delay, you have a 1% less chance of having a successful recovery.

"This innovation would now offer a innovative method where you're not depending on where you reside - conserving the crucial moments where your cerebral matter is otherwise dying."

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