Ultrasound-guided needle insertion robotic system for percutaneous puncture

Area of Science:

• Medical Robotics
• Surgical Navigation
• Minimally Invasive Procedures

Background:

• Ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous puncture is a crucial real-time, minimally invasive therapy.
• Achieving high accuracy in free-hand US-guided punctures is challenging for novice surgeons.
• Puncture needle accuracy is critical for the precision and safety of interventional procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robotic system to assist surgeons in performing percutaneous punctures with high precision.
• To overcome the accuracy challenges faced by surgeons during free-hand US-guided procedures.
• To enhance the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive interventional therapies.

Main Methods:

• Designed and developed an ultrasound (US)-guided puncture robot for needle localization and insertion.
• Integrated a passive arm to hold the US probe within the robot.
• Implemented a novel calibration method for coordinate transformation between the robot and US images.
• Enabled automated needle insertion based on planned targets and paths on US images.

Main Results:

• The robotic system achieved superior needle insertion accuracy (0.9 ± 0.29 mm, 0.76 ± 0.34°) compared to free-hand punctures (1.82 ± 0.51 mm, 2.79 ± 1.32°).
• Operation time was reduced to 14.28 ± 3.21 s from 25.14 ± 6.09 s.
• The number of needle insertions decreased from 1.96 ± 0.68 to 1.

Conclusions:

• A novel robotic system for US-guided percutaneous puncture was successfully developed and validated.
• The system demonstrated significant improvements in accuracy, speed, and efficiency.
• This robotic assistance can enhance the capabilities of novice and young surgeons in performing precise puncture operations.