A novel finite element model-based navigation system-supported workflow for breast tumor excision.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Surgical Navigation
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Breast-conserving surgery for female breast cancer requires precise tumor excision.
• Preoperative imaging (MRI, mammography, sonography) is crucial but poses challenges due to varying patient positions and breast tissue deformation.
• Current surgical approaches demand high physician expertise due to these imaging-surgery discrepancies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel eight-step workflow for breast tumor excision support.
• To integrate preoperative medical imaging data using a finite element (FE) model into surgical guidance.
• To incorporate an indoor positioning system for real-time tracking of surgical instruments and transducers.

Main Methods:

• Development of an eight-step excision support workflow.
• Utilizing a finite element (FE) model to incorporate multimodal preoperative imaging data (MRI, mammography, sonography).
• Integration of an indoor positioning system for intraoperative tracking of surgical devices and sonography transducer.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of a navigation system-supported workflow for breast tumor excision.
• Successful integration of preoperative imaging from multiple patient positions (e.g., prone MRI, standing mammography) into the FE model.
• Exemplary outline of the preoperative navigation system workflow with initial experimental results.

Conclusions:

• The proposed FE model-based navigation system offers a structured eight-step workflow to aid breast tumor excision.
• The system effectively integrates preoperative imaging data acquired in different patient positions, addressing a key surgical challenge.
• The inclusion of an indoor positioning system enhances surgical guidance by tracking instruments and the transducer during the procedure.