Development of an image-guided navigation platform for an automated and MRI-compatible robotic needle guiding device for percutaneous procedures

Prostate cancer is the second most cancer related death in men, accounting for over 111 M$ yearly in Canada. Current prostate biopsy or therapy procedures such as transperineal brachytherapy use transrectal ultrasound guidance and a template to guide needles along parallel trajectories. However, pubic arch interference (PAI) with the implant path obstructs part of the prostate from being targeted by the brachytherapy needles. Image–?guided robotized surgical interventions, and in particular MRI–?guided, can solve these problems by combining high precision robotics with high- resolution and accurate imaging, leading to targeted biopsies and focal therapies that will enable simpler treatments with lower side effects. This project will propose a novel and FDA approved navigation platform for the robotic needle steering device developed by Polymer Robotics. The navigation platform will include a comprehensive, reliable and time-efficient pre-procedural planning which can be easily integrated in the intra-procedural workflow, using an automated multimodal registration procedure. This will provide radiologists with a direct impression of the 3D anatomy to reach targets with high precision, ultimately yielding increased cancer detection rates.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Samuel Kadoury

Student:

TBD

Partner:

Polymer Robotics Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Polytechnique Montréal