A testbed system for robotically assisted percutaneous pattern therapy

This paper presents a second generation prototype image-guided robotic system for percutaneous delivery of surgical devices and therapeutic agents, with potential applications in the treatment of liver cancer and other malignancies. The system is intended to deliver these devices and therapies more consistently and accurately than a physician can achieve freehand. This capability will permit the treatment of smaller lesions, will enable the physician to better achieve optimized patterns of therapy distribution, and will allow for more rapid re-targeting for multiple lesions. The system will allow treatment of patients for whom surgery is contraindicated and could potentially replace major surgery, reducing patient morbidity and mortality, as well as the cost of treatment. The new prototype system uses new, modular hardware and software components, which improve its accuracy, usability, and flexibility as compared to the first generation prototype. Techniques for image processing, both in 2D and 3D images, planning, and fiducial registration have also been developed. In vitro, the system achieves submillimetric accuracy in the placement of simulated treatment devices from a preoperative plan generated from 3D imagery. Some initial in vivo considerations have also been addressed, and work is ongoing in this area.