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Piezoelectrically Actuated Robotic System for MRI-Guided Prostate Percutaneous Therapy
Hao Su1, Weijian Shang2, Gregory Cole1
1Philips Research North America, were with the Automation and Interventional Medicine (AIM) Robotics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics : a Joint Publication of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society and the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division
|September 29, 2015
Summary
A novel robotic system enables precise, MRI-guided prostate interventions. This system achieved sub-millimeter accuracy for needle placement, minimizing image interference during procedures.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Medical Imaging
- Surgical Technology
Background:
- Percutaneous prostate interventions require high precision and real-time guidance.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers excellent soft-tissue contrast for surgical navigation.
- Existing robotic systems may face challenges with MRI compatibility and integrated control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a fully-actuated robotic system for MRI-guided percutaneous prostate therapy.
- To ensure seamless integration of robotic motion with live MRI acquisition.
- To assess the system's precision and safety in phantom studies.
Main Methods:
- Development of a 6-DOF needle placement robot with modular hardware and software.
- Implementation of a custom robot controller with piezoelectric motors for closed-loop control.
- Integration with navigation software via OpenIGTLink for image-based registration and motion control.
- Evaluation of MRI compatibility (3T scanner) and image quality (SNR loss <15%).
- Phantom studies with 25 targeted needle placements using an 18-gauge ceramic needle.
Main Results:
- The robotic system demonstrated compatibility within a 3T MRI scanner with minimal SNR loss (15%).
- Robot presence and motion caused unobservable image interference.
- Sub-millimeter accuracy (0.87 mm RMS error) was achieved in 3D Euclidean distance for needle placement in phantoms.
- The system supports simultaneous robot motion and MRI acquisition.
Conclusions:
- The developed robotic system is suitable for MRI-guided transperineal prostate interventions.
- The system offers precise needle placement with minimal impact on image quality.
- This technology has the potential to enhance the safety and efficacy of prostate therapies.
