MITK-US: real-time ultrasound support within MITK

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Computer-Assisted Interventions
• Ultrasound Technology

Background:

• Intra-procedural patient anatomy acquisition is crucial for computer-assisted interventions (CAI).
• Ultrasound (US) is advantageous for interventions due to its real-time, low-cost, and non-ionizing nature.
• Advancing US-based CAI research requires robust, accessible tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an open-source software framework for ultrasound-based CAI applications.
• To facilitate research and development in real-time image-guided medical procedures.
• To provide a flexible platform for implementing novel US-guided interventions.

Main Methods:

• Developed MITK-US, an open-source module integrated with the Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK).
• Applied MITK-US to implement a novel ultrasound-guided needle insertion concept.
• Assessed performance by measuring frame rate and latency in sample and complex applications.

Main Results:

• MITK-US successfully implemented both sample applications.
• Achieved frame rates exceeding 24 frames per second on modern laptops.
• Measured system latency at approximately 250 milliseconds or less.

Conclusions:

• MITK-US serves as a viable rapid prototyping environment for ultrasound-based CAI.
• The framework supports the development of real-time, image-guided interventional applications.
• Facilitates innovation in ultrasound-guided medical procedures.