(MENAFN) Surgeons from Scotland and the United States have successfully conducted what is believed to be the world’s first remote stroke procedure using robotic systems, BBC reported Monday.

Professor Iris Grunwald, from the University of Dundee, carried out a remote thrombectomy — the extraction of a blood clot following a stroke — on a human cadaver donated for medical research.

Grunwald controlled the operation from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, while the cadaver was positioned elsewhere in the city at the university.

Later the same day, Ricardo Hanel, a neurosurgeon based in Florida, completed the first transatlantic robotic surgery from his office in Jacksonville on a human body located in Dundee, over 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) away.

The team hailed the milestone as a potential “game changer” if approved for use in clinical settings, suggesting it could transform stroke treatment by enabling specialists to operate remotely.

Delays in accessing specialized medical centers can heavily influence patient recovery. Experts noted that robotic platforms could help bridge this gap, particularly in rural or underserved regions.

Prof Grunwald commented: “It felt as if we were witnessing the first glimpse of the future. Where previously this was thought to be science fiction, we demonstrated that every step of the procedure can already be done.”

The University of Dundee, recognized as a global training hub for the World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment, remains the only UK institution where physicians can perform operations on cadavers with liquid circulated through vessels to replicate human blood flow.

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