Recently, the healthcare system of the Republic of North Macedonia witnessed a historic milestone: the first robot-assisted surgery was successfully performed at the country’s largest public medical complex—the University Clinical Center “Mother Teresa” in Skopje. This landmark achievement was powered by China’s independently developed Edge® Multi-Port Laparoscopic Surgical Robot, heralding a new era of robotic minimally invasive surgery in North Macedonia.

Chinese and Macedonian Experts Join Forces—Edge Medical Robot Makes History

The patient was a male in his 60s with progressive dysuria for over seven months. Further examination revealed a tPSA of 16 ng/mL, and prostate biopsy confirmed prostate adenocarcinoma with a Gleason score of 3+4. MRI indicated the tumor was located in the right lobe of the prostate.

The surgery was performed through close collaboration between the urology clinic team and the anesthesiology department. The surgical team was led by Dr. Viktor Stankov, a urology specialist in North Macedonia, with Professor Gu Di from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China, serving as proctor. Anesthesia was administered by Dr. Aleksandra Gavrilovska Brzanova.

Prior to the procedure, Professor Gu Di—an experienced robotic surgeon—and Dr. Stankov developed a detailed surgical plan for the patient. Following a thorough team evaluation, they elected to use the Edge® Multi-Port Laparoscopic Surgical Robot, employing a single-port technique via an extraperitoneal approach.

Conventional multi-port surgery typically requires 3–4 separate small incisions. In this case, the Edge Multi-Port Surgical Robot utilized an extraperitoneal single-port technique, requiring only a single 4 cm transverse incision above the pubis to accomplish both lesion resection and specimen retrieval. Compared with the traditional multi-port approach, this technique further reduces surgical trauma, helps alleviate postoperative pain, and accelerates recovery. Meanwhile, the extraperitoneal pathway effectively avoids interference from the bowel and other organs, providing the surgeon with a clearer, more direct operative field.

The surgical team noted that the Edge® Multi-Port Surgical Robot’s high-definition 3D vision and tremor filtration technology delivered an exceptionally precise operative experience. Its articulating wristed instruments maneuvered effortlessly within confined spaces, ensuring precision and safety throughout the procedure.

North Macedonia Enters a New Era of Robotic Surgery—"Made in China" Gains European Clinical Recognition

North Macedonia is one of the Southeast European countries actively driving healthcare modernization, consistently enhancing its medical service capabilities by introducing cutting-edge technologies in recent years. The University Clinical Center “Mother Teresa” is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, serving as the country’s national tertiary care, medical education, and research center, and holds a vital position within the North Macedonian healthcare system.

The Edge® Multi-Port Surgical Robot’s role in enabling this center to complete the country’s first robot-assisted surgery signifies that its technical capabilities and clinical reliability have earned recognition from a European national-level medical institution, while also marking the dawn of a new era of surgical innovation in North Macedonia.

Professor Svetozar Antović, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, noted that minimally invasive surgery represents the direction of modern medicine. He stated that the faculty will use this first surgery as a starting point to progressively extend robot-assisted surgical technology across more clinical specialties.

The Edge® Multi-Port Laparoscopic Surgical Robot System received EU CE certification (MDR) in March 2025, securing a “golden passport” for market access across Europe and globally. Its successful application in North Macedonia stands as further evidence that Chinese surgical robots are gaining continued recognition in real-world European clinical settings.

As clinical collaborations and practice in Europe deepen, the “Made in China” Edge Medical Robot is demonstrating robust technical capabilities and significant clinical outcomes, emerging as an important force in the global minimally invasive surgery landscape.