Rolling mechanical imaging for tissue abnormality localization during minimally invasive surgery.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Technology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Minimally invasive surgery requires precise localization of tissue abnormalities.
• Current methods for detecting tissue variations can be limited in scope and speed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel force-sensitive wheeled probe for creating rolling mechanical images (RMI).
• To visualize spatial variations in tissue stiffness for improved abnormality detection.

Main Methods:

• A force-sensitive wheeled probe was developed to capture wheel-tissue rolling interaction data.
• Kinaesthetic information was fused into pseudocolor rolling mechanical images (RMI).
• Ex vivo testing included silicone phantoms and excised porcine organs.

Main Results:

• The RMI technique effectively visualizes stiffness distribution within tissue samples.
• Continuous force measurement provides repeatable data on relative stiffness variations.
• RMI demonstrated higher sensitivity and faster large-area coverage compared to discrete indentations.

Conclusions:

• The RMI approach offers a sensitive and efficient method for localizing tissue abnormalities based on stiffness.
• The rolling indentation probe can be adapted for uniaxial tissue property analysis.
• This technology has significant potential for enhancing surgical navigation and diagnosis.