Laser Generated Leaky Acoustic Waves for Needle Visualization.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Acoustics

Background:

• Ultrasound (US)-guided needle operations are crucial for tissue biopsy and drug delivery.
• Conventional US visualization faces limitations in transducer-needle orientation due to acoustic wave reflection.
• Accurate real-time needle tracking is essential for minimally invasive procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel leaky acoustic wave (LAW) method for visualizing needle position and orientation.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional ultrasound in needle guidance.
• To assess the accuracy and detection range of the LAW method in tissue phantoms and porcine tissue.

Main Methods:

• Generating acoustic waves on the needle surface using laser pulses.
• Propagating these waves along the needle.
• Detecting leaky wave signals with an ultrasound array transducer.
• Calculating needle position using phase velocities and emission angles of different wave modes.

Main Results:

• The LAW method achieved a detection depth of up to 51 mm.
• The system accurately determined insertion angles up to 40° for various needle diameters.
• The proposed approach demonstrated superior detection range compared to conventional B-mode US while maintaining similar accuracy.
• Successful evaluation in tissue-mimicking phantoms and porcine tissue.

Conclusions:

• The leaky acoustic wave method provides enhanced visualization of needle position and orientation.
• This technique offers a wider detection range and comparable accuracy to conventional ultrasound-guided methods.
• The LAW method shows significant potential for improving the safety and efficacy of clinical needle-based interventions.