Laurent Schoevaerdts
Papers
9
Total Citations
289
H-Index
5
About
Laurent Schoevaerdts is a pioneering researcher at the frontier of robotic micro-surgery, whose work is transforming the treatment of retinal vein occlusion (RVO)—a leading cause of severe vision loss. His primary contributions lie in developing and validating robot-assisted retinal vein cannulation, a procedure so delicate it involves injecting anti-coagulants into veins thinner than a human hair. Schoevaerdts achieved a monumental milestone with his 2018 paper, "In-Human Robot-Assisted Retinal Vein Cannulation, A World First" (122 citations), demonstrating the first successful application of this technology in a patient. To make this possible, he engineered advanced sensing cannulation needles that combine Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) force sensing with OCT distance measurement, allowing surgeons to "feel" and navigate the retina with unprecedented precision. His work progressed from rigorous in vivo porcine models (65 citations) to a Phase I human trial (24 citations), establishing both the feasibility and safety of the approach. By merging robotics, sensing, and ophthalmology, Schoevaerdts is not only pushing the boundaries of micro-surgery but also offering new hope for patients with central retinal vein occlusion.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1In-Human Robot-Assisted Retinal Vein Cannulation, A World First122 citations · 2018
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- 8Use Case for European Robotics in Ophthalmologic Micro-Surgery2 citations · 2015
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