Open Source Platform for Transperineal In-Bore MRI-Guided Targeted Prostate Biopsy

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Urology
• Software Engineering

Background:

• Accurate prostate cancer diagnosis relies on precise biopsy sampling.
• Transperineal in-bore MRI-guided prostate biopsy (tpMRgBx) is a validated technique for targeted biopsy.
• There is a need for streamlined software to support the evaluation and translation of tpMRgBx.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an open-source software platform, SliceTracker, to aid in the evaluation, refinement, and clinical translation of tpMRgBx.
• To create a modular and customizable platform to assess the impact of different image processing components on biopsy accuracy.
• To facilitate the adoption of tpMRgBx by operators with minimal technical expertise.

Main Methods:

• Developed SliceTracker as a 3D Slicer extension for tpMRgBx.
• Employed a modular design for customizable interface and interchangeable image segmentation/registration components.
• Conducted retrospective evaluation of registration accuracy and prospective evaluation of procedure time and biopsy targeting error (BTE).

Main Results:

• Retrospective analysis showed a mean landmark registration error of 1.88 ± 2.63 mm.
• Prospective evaluation demonstrated a target re-identification time of 4.60 ± 2.40 min.
• Prospective evaluation yielded a biopsy targeting error (BTE) of 2.40 ± 0.98 mm.

Conclusions:

• SliceTracker is a modular, extensible, open-source platform supporting the image processing aspects of tpMRgBx.
• The platform has been successfully used to support clinical research procedures.
• SliceTracker facilitates the translation and refinement of MRI-guided prostate biopsy techniques.