3D Microendoscopic Electrical Impedance Tomography for Margin Assessment During Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Technology
• Medical Device Development

Background:

• Intraoperative surgical margin assessment is critical for effective cancer treatment.
• Robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) requires advanced tools for precise margin evaluation.
• Current methods may lack the sensitivity needed for complete tumor removal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate microendoscopic electrical impedance probes for intraoperative margin assessment in RALP.
• To compare the performance of 8, 9, and 17-electrode probe designs.
• To determine the optimal probe configuration for accurate surgical margin identification.

Main Methods:

• Finite element method simulations were used to analyze probe designs with varying electrode counts.
• Bench-top experiments with saline phantoms and ex vivo tissue studies were conducted.
• Performance was evaluated based on inclusion localization accuracy and tissue differentiation.

Main Results:

• The 8-electrode probe could not localize inclusions, while 9 and 17-electrode probes showed accurate reconstruction at depths of 1 mm and 3 mm, respectively.
• The 17-electrode probe demonstrated superior performance in saline phantom studies, with minimal position and area error.
• Ex vivo human prostate tissue studies confirmed the 17-electrode probe's ability to distinguish cancerous from benign tissues.

Conclusions:

• The 17-electrode microendoscopic electrical impedance probe is essential for accurate and sensitive intraoperative surgical margin assessment during RALP.
• This advanced probe design offers significant advantages over 8 and 9-electrode configurations.
• The findings support the clinical adoption of this technology for improved prostate cancer surgery outcomes.