3D ultrasound guided breast biopsy system

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biotechnology
• Radiology

Background:

• Stereotactic mammography (SM) and ultrasound (US) are standard breast biopsy techniques.
• Both SM and US have limitations, including procedure length, discomfort, and 2D imaging constraints.
• A need exists for improved accuracy and broader applicability in breast biopsy guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel 3D ultrasound-guided biopsy system integrated with stereotactic mammography.
• To combine the strengths of 3D US and SM for enhanced breast lesion targeting and biopsy.
• To improve the ability to biopsy a larger percentage of suspicious breast masses.

Main Methods:

• Development of a dual modality breast biopsy system integrating 3D US with SM.
• Utilizing breast phantoms to assess the system's targeting accuracy for artificial lesions.
• Employing metal beads for registration of SM geometry with 3D US images.

Main Results:

• The 3D US-guided biopsy system successfully targeted artificial lesions as small as 3.2 mm with a 96% success rate in phantoms.
• The system demonstrated performance equivalent to current clinical practice in in vitro biopsy tasks.
• Target registration error between SM and 3D US was measured at 1.6 mm, with vertical positioning error being the primary contributor.

Conclusions:

• The integrated 3D US and SM biopsy system offers a promising advancement in breast imaging and biopsy guidance.
• This dual modality approach enhances target identification, real-time monitoring, and confirmation of biopsy success.
• The system has the potential to increase the proportion of suspicious breast masses that can be successfully biopsied using ultrasound.