Robot-assisted needle placement in open MRI: system architecture, integration and validation.
In prostate cancer treatment, there is a move toward targeted interventions for biopsy and therapy, which has precipitated the need for precise image-guided methods for needle placement. This paper describes an integrated system for planning and performing percutaneous procedures with robotic assistance under MRI guidance. A graphical planning interface allows the physician to specify the set of desired needle trajectories, based on anatomical structures and lesions observed in the patient's registered pre-operative and pre-procedural MR images, immediately prior to the intervention in an open-bore MRI scanner. All image-space coordinates are automatically computed, and are used to position a needle guide by means of an MRI-compatible robotic manipulator, thus avoiding the limitations of the traditional fixed needle template. Automatic alignment of real-time intra-operative images aids visualization of the needle as it is manually inserted through the guide. Results from in-scanner phantom experiments are provided.
DiMaio
S P
SP
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. simond@bwh.harvard.edu
Pieper
S
S
Chinzei
K
K
Hata
N
N
Haker
S J
SJ
Kacher
D F
DF
Fichtinger
G
G
Tempany
C M
CM
Kikinis
R
R
D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D038361:Neuronavigation; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012371:Robotics