Searching Method for Three-Dimensional Puncture Route to Support Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Puncture

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Surgical Planning
• Computational Anatomy

Background:

• CT-guided percutaneous punctures are crucial for treating various tumors and abscesses.
• Current 2D CT image analysis limits puncture route selection to a 2D plane, potentially missing optimal paths.
• Efficient and safe 3D puncture route planning is needed to improve patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a 3D puncture space construction method using multiple 2D CT images.
• To enable the search for safer and shorter puncture routes in 3D space.
• To provide physicians with efficient tools for selecting optimal puncture routes during CT-guided procedures.

Main Methods:

• Extension of the 2D ray-tracing method to 3D space for efficient route derivation.
• Construction of a 3D puncture space from multiple 2D CT images.
• Development of a method to derive 3D puncture routes within clinically relevant timeframes.

Main Results:

• The proposed method significantly reduces processing time compared to brute-force approaches (e.g., 4.77s vs. 2599.0s for 15 CT images).
• Computer simulations demonstrated the derivation of puncture routes in approximately 59.4s for a 170-image dataset.
• Physicians validated the derived 3D puncture routes as clinically usable and safe.

Conclusions:

• The proposed 3D method enables efficient and safe puncture route selection in CT-guided procedures.
• This approach reduces patient burden and enhances physician capabilities in minimally invasive treatments.
• The method provides a practical tool for optimizing surgical planning and execution.