This paper presents the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of a photoacoustic (PA) imaging probe for robotic surgery. PA is an emerging imaging modality that combines the high penetration of ultrasound (US) imaging with high optical contrast. When equipped with a PA probe, a surgical robot can provide intraoperative guidance to the operating physician, alerting them of the presence of vital substrate anatomy (e.g., nerves or blood vessels) invisible to the naked eye. Our probe is designed to work with the da Vinci surgical system to produce three-dimensional PA images: We propose an approach wherein the robot provides Remote Center-of-Motion (RCM) scanning across a region of interest, and successive PA tomographic images are acquired and interpolated to produce a three-dimensional PA image. To demonstrate the accuracy of the PA guidance in scanning 3D tomography actuated by the robot, we conducted an experimental study that involved the imaging of a multi-layer wire phantom. The computed Target Registration Error (TRE) between the acquired PA image and the phantom was 1.5567±1.3605 mm. The ex vivo study demonstrated the function of the proposed laparoscopic device in 3D vascular detection. These results indicate the potential of our PA system to be incorporated into clinical robotic surgery for functional anatomical guidance.
Intra-operative medical imaging enables incorporation of human experience and intelligence in a controlled, closed-loop fashion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an ideal modality for surgical guidance of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, with its ability to perform high resolution, real-time, high soft tissue contrast imaging without ionizing radiation. However, for most current image-guided approaches only static pre-operative images are accessible for guidance, which are unable to provide updated information during a surgical procedure. The high magnetic field, electrical interference, and limited access of closed-bore MRI render great challenges to developing robotic systems that can perform inside a diagnostic high-field MRI while obtaining interactively updated MR images. To overcome these limitations, we are developing a piezoelectrically actuated robotic assistant for actuated percutaneous prostate interventions under real-time MRI guidance. Utilizing a modular design, the system enables coherent and straight forward workflow for various percutaneous interventions, including prostate biopsy sampling and brachytherapy seed placement, using various needle driver configurations. The unified workflow compromises: 1) system hardware and software initialization, 2) fiducial frame registration, 3) target selection and motion planning, 4) moving to the target and performing the intervention (e.g. taking a biopsy sample) under live imaging, and 5) visualization and verification. Phantom experiments of prostate biopsy and brachytherapy were executed under MRI-guidance to evaluate the feasibility of the workflow. The robot successfully performed fully actuated biopsy sampling and delivery of simulated brachytherapy seeds under live MR imaging, as well as precise delivery of a prostate brachytherapy seed distribution with an RMS accuracy of 0.98mm.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides high resolution multi-parametric imaging, large soft tissue contrast,
and interactive image updates making it an ideal modality for diagnosing prostate cancer and guiding surgical
tools. Despite a substantial armamentarium of apparatuses and systems has been developed to assist surgical
diagnosis and therapy for MRI-guided procedures over last decade, the unified method to develop high fidelity
robotic systems in terms of accuracy, dynamic performance, size, robustness and modularity, to work inside
close-bore MRI scanner still remains a challenge. In this work, we develop and evaluate an integrated modular
hardware and software system to support the surgical workflow of intra-operative MRI, with percutaneous
prostate intervention as an illustrative case. Specifically, the distinct apparatuses and methods include: 1) a
robot controller system for precision closed loop control of piezoelectric motors, 2) a robot control interface
software that connects the 3D Slicer navigation software and the robot controller to exchange robot commands
and coordinates using the OpenIGTLink open network communication protocol, and 3) MRI scan plane alignment
to the planned path and imaging of the needle as it is inserted into the target location. A preliminary experiment
with ex-vivo phantom validates the system workflow, MRI-compatibility and shows that the robotic system has
a better than 0.01mm positioning accuracy.
Recent studies have demonstrated an increasing number of functional surgical robots and other devices operating in the
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) environment. Calibration and tracking of the robotic device is essential during such
MRI-guided procedures. A fiducial tracking module is placed on the base or the end effector of the robot to localize it
within the scanner, and thus the patient coordinate system. The fiducial frame represents a Z shape and is made of seven
tubes filled with high contrast fluid. The frame is highlighted in the MR images and is used in localization. Compared to
the former single image registration method, multiple images are used in this algorithm to calculate the position and
orientation of the frame, and thus the robot. By using multiple images together, measurement error is reduced and the
rigid requirement of slow to acquire high quality of images is not required. Accuracy and performance were evaluated in
experiments which were operated with a Philips 3T MRI scanner. Presented is an accuracy comparison of the new
method with varied number of images, and a comparison to more traditional single image registration techniques.
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