Machine Learning-based Surgical Guidance System for Robot-assisted Rectal Surgery (CoBot2)

August 25, 2026 updated by: Technische Universität Dresden

Machine Learning-based Surgical Guidance System for Robot-assisted Rectal Surgery - a First-in-human Interventional Study

The aim of the study is to evaluate the technical feasibility and applicability of a surgical assistance system based on image recognition algorithms in a first-in-human pilot study. In addition, this study will provide preliminary data on the oncological outcome of the assistance system.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
12

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Germany
    • Saxony
      • Dresden, Saxony, Germany, 01307
        • Recruiting
        • Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Technische Universität Dresden
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with rectal cancer scheduled for robot-assisted rectal resection
  • Intact preoperative urogenital/rectal function
  • Full capability of consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous/Second malignant disease <5 years before diagnosis of rectal cancer
  • Previous abdominal surgery, except for laparoscopic appendectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy or Cesarean section
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Addiction or illness that prevent the person concerned from assessing the nature and scope of the clinical trial and its possible consequences
  • indication that the participant is unlikely to comply with the trial protocoll (e.g. lack of compliance)
  • official or court order for involuntary hospitalization

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Additional visualisation of surgical assistance during surgery
Other: Additional visualisation of surgical assistance during surgery
Robot-assisted anterior rectal resection using daVinci® system as CE-marked gold standard with additional visualization of surgical assistance functions based on machine learning techniques

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of discrepancies between the surgeon's preparation and the prediction of the CoBot system
Time Frame: 72 hours after Surgery
System discrepancy score quantifying major misspecifications of the CoBot system in comparison to the surgeon's action
72 hours after Surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Operating time [min]
Time Frame: During Surgery
Time from skin incision until placement of last skin staple/suture
During Surgery
Assessment of the difficulty of the preparation
Time Frame: 48 hours after surgery
Surgeon questionnaire, the questionnaire qualitatively assesses nine items, each item scoring from "not at all" to "very much", evaluated individually
48 hours after surgery
Duration of postoperative hospital stay [days]
Time Frame: At day of discharge, assessed up to 5 days
Postoperative day 1 until day of discharge
At day of discharge, assessed up to 5 days
Duration of postoperative intermediate/intensive care unit stay [days]
Time Frame: At day of discharge, assessed up to 5 days
Postoperative day 1 until day of discharge
At day of discharge, assessed up to 5 days
Frequency of peri-operative morbidity after resection
Time Frame: At day of discharge, assessed of up to 5 days
Frequency of peri-operative complications after surgery until Day of Discharge
At day of discharge, assessed of up to 5 days
Kind of peri-operative morbidity after resection
Time Frame: At day of discharge, assessed of up to 5 days
Kind of peri-operative complications after surgery until day of discharge
At day of discharge, assessed of up to 5 days
Assessment of the circumferential resection margin (CRM)
Time Frame: At day of discharge, assessed up to 5 days
Rate of R0 resections
At day of discharge, assessed up to 5 days
Number of resected lymphnodes
Time Frame: During surgery
Number of lymphnodes resected during surgery
During surgery
Assessment of pelvic function before and after rectal resection
Time Frame: 15 months
Rectal function will be assessed preoperatively and 12-15 months postoperatively using the standard LARS score questionnaire, resulting in a score between 0 and 42. Higher scores mean a worse outcome (worse pelvic function).
15 months
Rectal sphincter function before and after rectal resection
Time Frame: 15 months
Sphincter function will be assessed by manometry preoperatively and 12 - 15 months postoperatively
15 months
Assessment of usability of guidance system
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 6 months
One-time final survey of all participating surgeons, the questionnaire qualitatively assesses nine items, each item scoring from "not at all" to "very much", evaluated individually
Through study completion, an average of 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Technische Universität Dresden

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
German Cancer Research Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Marius Distler, Prof. Dr., University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 25, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 7, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 7, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 15, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 25, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • TUD-COBOT2-087
  • DE-25-00015527 (Other Identifier: DMIDS)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings