In the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology has been applied to develop a simulation and navigation system and a model for predicting surgical outcomes in hepatobiliary surgery. To identify the intrahepatic vascular structure and accurate liver segmentation and volumetry, AI technology has been applied in three-dimensional (3D) simulation software. Recently, 3D and 4D printing have been used as innovative technologies for tissue and organ fabrication, medical education, and preoperative planning. AI can empower 3D and 4D printing technologies. Attempts have been made to use AI technology in augmented reality for navigating and performing intraoperative ultrasound. To predict surgical outcomes and postoperative early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, a deep learning model can be useful. Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging is used in hepatobiliary surgery to visualize the anatomy of the bile duct, hepatic tumors, and hepatic segmental areas. AI technology was applied to fuse intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence and visible images. Preoperative simulation, intraoperative navigation, and models to predict surgical outcomes using AI technology can be clinically applied in hepatobiliary surgery. As shown in reliable and robust clinical studies, AI can be a useful tool in clinical practice to improve the safety and efficacy of hepatobiliary surgery.

Despite a growing number of women choosing to pursue surgical specialties, surgery is still perceived as a woman-unfriendly career. The difficulties of conciliating a demanding career with the requirements of both personal and family life for women surgeons have been investigated by several authors. The current study aims to summarize existing evidence on the issue of work-life balance for women surgeons, particularly focusing on possible strategies to improve it. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been investigated as a possible means to close the gender gap, acting as an equalizer for women surgeons. Female surgeons have been reported to be unmarried or to have married later in life at a higher rate than their male colleagues; many of them also choose not to have children or to have fewer and to have them later in life. These disparities are partly due to the issues connected to invisible work (e.g. household management), the difficulties of managing pregnancy during surgical residency, the challenges women face when returning to work following maternity leave, and the lack of a supportive environment. Flexible work schedules, implementation of childcare facilities, introduction and encouragement of paternity leave for surgeons, and enforcement of mentorship and sponsorship for female surgeons are some of the proposed solutions for building a fair and equitable work culture for all surgeons and overthrowing old, conventional ideas concerning gender roles. Moreover, technology has been advocated as a possible solution to gender discrimination in surgical departments; technology could facilitate an objective assessment of surgical performances and advanced training for surgeons unable to attend in-person education. A healthy, thriving, organized, supportive, and culturally transformed work environment could benefit surgeon and staff productivity and ultimately improve patient care.

Pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) is increasingly performed laparoscopically (LPD) and robotically (RPD) with the benefits of minimally invasive surgery and equivalent oncological outcomes compared with conventional open PD (OPD). When LPD and RPD are compared, RPD offers better precision with 3D vision and advanced instrumentation. Although the learning curve for RPD is long with a longer operating time compared with OPD, this can be reduced to a duration similar to that for OPD through standardization of techniques and case numbers. Perioperative outcomes such as length of stay, blood loss, and transfusion requirement are significantly improved compared to OPD and fewer cases require conversion to open than LPD. In this article, we describe our approach to RPD through standardizing PD techniques along with tips and tricks for the benefit of surgeons interested in learning robotic pancreatic surgery.

This white paper documents the consensus opinion of the Artificial Intelligence Surgery (AIS) task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics and the AIS Editorial Board Study Group on Ethics on the ethical considerations and current trustworthiness of artificial intelligence and autonomous actions in surgery. The ethics were divided into 6 topics defined by the Task Force: Reliability of robotic and AI systems; Respect for privacy and sensitive data; Use of complete and representative (i.e., unbiased) data; Transparencies and uncertainties in AI; Fairness: are we exacerbating inequalities in access to healthcare?; Technology as an equalizer in surgical education. Task Force members were asked to research a topic, draft a section, and come up with several potential consensus statements. These were voted on by members of the Task Force and the Study Group, and all proposals that received > 75 % agreement were adopted and included in the White Paper.

The advancement of computational abilities has taken us from the days of machines performing simple, one-dimensional tasks to themselves learning and applying knowns to unknowns. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become integral in daily life, yet there is vast room for application in surgery. Cancer research can divert attention from more prevalent benign diseases which may equally cause a significant impact on quality of life. Here we review recent advancements in the field of AI for diagnostics, management, and prognostication of benign prostatic hyperplasia, evaluating the strengths and limitations of these approaches with implications for future research.