MRI-Safe Robot for Endorectal Prostate Biopsy.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Robotics
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Prostate cancer management benefits from accurate biopsy targeting.
• Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers potential for precise lesion identification.
• Existing biopsy methods may lack integration with MRI guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an MRI-Safe robotic system for direct MRI-guided endorectal prostate biopsy.
• To ensure the robot's compatibility with MRI environments and assess its needle targeting accuracy.

Main Methods:

• Designed and constructed a 3-DoF (degree-of-freedom) robot using nonmagnetic, nonconductive, and electricity-free materials (pneumatic actuation, optical sensors).
• Performed comprehensive preclinical tests, including MRI compatibility assessments and accuracy evaluations in bench, CT-guided, MRI-guided, and animal models.
• Robot features a compact design with remote depth setting for reduced patient-side complexity.

Main Results:

• The robot demonstrated MRI-Safety, causing negligible image deterioration or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) changes during MRI scans.
• Achieved high needle targeting accuracy: 0.37mm (bench), 1.10mm (CT-in-vitro), 2.09mm (MRI-in-vitro), and 2.58mm (animal tests).
• Accuracy results are within acceptable limits for clinical application.

Conclusions:

• The developed MRI-Safe robot is suitable for interventional MRI-guided prostate biopsy.
• The system offers a safe and accurate solution for targeting prostate cancer lesions under MRI guidance.
• This technology holds significant clinical potential for improving prostate cancer management.