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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Electromagnetic Navigation Transthoracic Nodule Localization for Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery
Published on: May 4, 2022
Steerable catheters for minimally invasive surgery: a review and future directions
Xiaohua Hu1,2, Ang Chen2, Yigang Luo2,3
1a School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation , Shanghai University , Shanghai , P.R. China.
Abstract:
The steerable catheter refers to the catheter that is manipulated by a mechanism which may be driven by operators or by actuators. The steerable catheter for minimally invasive surgery has rapidly become a rich and diverse area of research. Many important achievements in design, application and analysis of the steerable catheter have been made in the past decade. This paper aims to provide an overview of the state of arts of steerable catheters. Steerable catheters are classified into four main groups based on the actuation principle: (1) tendon driven catheters, (2) magnetic navigation catheters, (3) soft material driven catheters (shape memory effect catheters, steerable needles, concentric tubes, conducting polymer driven catheters and hydraulic pressure driven catheters), and (4) hybrid actuation catheters. The advantages and limitations of each of them are commented and discussed in this paper. The future directions of research are summarized.
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