Dual-robot ultrasound-guided needle placement: closing the planning-imaging-action loop.
OBJECTIVE
Precise needle placement is an important task during several medical procedures. Ultrasound imaging is often used to guide the needle toward the target region in soft tissue. This task remains challenging due to the user's dependence on image quality, limited field of view, moving target, and moving needle. In this paper, we present a novel dual-robot framework for robotic needle insertions under robotic ultrasound guidance.


METHODS
We integrated force-controlled ultrasound image acquisition, registration of preoperative and intraoperative images, vision-based robot control, and target localization, in combination with a novel needle tracking algorithm. The framework allows robotic needle insertion to target a preoperatively defined region of interest while enabling real-time visualization and adaptive trajectory planning to provide safe and quick interactions. We assessed the framework by considering both static and moving targets embedded in water and tissue-mimicking gelatin.


RESULTS
The presented dual-robot tracking algorithms allow for accurate needle placement, namely to target the region of interest with an error around 1 mm.


CONCLUSIONS
To the best of our knowledge, we show the first use of two independent robots, one for imaging, the other for needle insertion, that are simultaneously controlled using image processing algorithms. Experimental results show the feasibility and demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the process.
Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. risto.kojcev@iit.it.|Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, PI, Italy. risto.kojcev@iit.it.
Risto
R
Kojcev
Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.|Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Bernhard
B
Fuerst
Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Oliver
O
Zettinig
Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Javad
J
Fotouhi
Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Sing Chun
SC
Lee
Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Benjamin
B
Frisch
Laboratory of Computational Sensing and Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Russell
R
Taylor
Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, PI, Italy.
Edoardo
E
Sinibaldi
Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.|Computer Aided Medical Procedures, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Nassir
N
Navab
D000465:Algorithms; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009339:Needles; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software; D012985:Software Design; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods
Instrument and patient localization and tracking; Robotic architecture and devices; Robotic system and software; Robotics; Software architecture; Ultrasound