Looking beyond the imaging plane: 3D needle tracking with a linear array ultrasound probe.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Navigation

Background:

• Ultrasound is crucial for guiding minimally invasive procedures, but poor visibility of medical devices poses risks.
• Undetected device movement can lead to critical structure damage and severe complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an ultrasound probe enabling simultaneous 2D imaging and 3D tracking of medical devices.
• To enhance procedural safety and accuracy by improving device visibility during interventions.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel ultrasound probe with focused and unfocused transducer elements.
• Integrated a fiber-optic hydrophone into a needle for receiving Golay-coded transmissions.
• Processed hydrophone data to generate 3D ultrasonic needle tracking images.

Main Results:

• Achieved tracking accuracy better than 0.4 mm in all dimensions in water.
• Demonstrated clinical potential in swine and ovine models, with signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) from 13 to 38.
• Successful in vivo insertions into the spine and uterine cavity were performed.

Conclusions:

• The novel ultrasound probe offers co-registered 3D needle tip localization with 2D ultrasound images.
• This technology has strong potential to improve procedural outcomes and maintain compatibility with clinical workflows.