Applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Surgery

Dear Colleagues,

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing surgical practice, offering transformative opportunities to enhance precision, efficiency, and patient outcomes. While surgical expertise remains irreplaceable, AI technologies are emerging as powerful tools to augment surgical capabilities across preoperative planning, intraoperative decision-making, and postoperative care.

Recent developments in machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision have enabled novel applications in surgery, including AI-powered surgical robotics, predictive analytics for risk stratification, automated surgical documentation, image-guided procedures, and intelligent decision support systems. These technologies have demonstrated potential to improve surgical accuracy, reduce complications, streamline workflows, and enhance surgical education.

However, the integration of AI into surgical practice presents unique challenges including data quality and availability, algorithm bias, regulatory frameworks, and workforce implications. Understanding both the capabilities and limitations of AI is essential for its responsible implementation.

Topics which will be welcomed in this Special Issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine include, but are not limited to, the following:

• AI-powered surgical robotics and autonomous systems;
• Machine learning for surgical risk prediction and outcome forecasting;
• Computer vision and image analysis for surgical guidance;
• AI applications in surgical planning and simulation;
• Patient safety and quality improvement through AI;
• Novel AI applications in specific surgical specialties, especially focusing on their clinical application and real-world implementation in surgical practice.

Dr. Syed Ali Haider
Dr. Antonio Jorge Forte
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.