Robotic system for prostate brachytherapy

In contemporary brachytherapy procedures, needle placement at the desired target is challenging for a variety of reasons. A robot-assisted brachytherapy system can potentially improve needle placement and seed delivery, resulting in enhanced therapeutic outcome. In this paper we present a robotic system with 16 degrees of freedom (DOF) (9 DOF for the positioning module and 7 DOF for the surgery module) that has been developed and fabricated for prostate brachytherapy. Strategies to reduce needle deflection and target movement were incorporated after extensive experimental validation. Provision for needle motion and force feedback was included in the system to improve robot control and seed delivery. Preliminary experimental results reveal that the prototype system is sufficiently accurate in placing brachytherapy needles.