In order to improve the current clinical application of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided prostate biopsies, a new, fully magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible solution has been developed. This solution consists of a five degree-of-freedom (5DOF) pneumatic robot, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and a software application for visualization and robot control. The robot can be freely positioned on the MR table. For the calibration of the robot and MR coordinate system, the robot’s needle guide (NG) is used. The software application supports the calibration with image segmentation and graphic overlays and guides the user through the interventional planning process. After selecting a target point, the application calculates the needed movements via solving the kinematics of the robot and translating the adjustment into commands for the PLC driving the step motors of the robot. In case further adjustments are required, the software also allows for manual control of the robot, to position the NG according to the acquired MR images.

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We present a fiber optical shape sensing system that allows to track the shape of a standard telecom fiber with fiber Bragg grating. The shape sensing information is combined with a medical visualization platform to visualize the shape sensing information together with medical images and post-processing results like 3D models, vessel graphs, or segmentation results. The framework has a modular nature to use it for various medical applications like catheter or needle based interventions. The technology has potential in the medical area as it is MR-compatible and can easily be integrated in catheters and needles due to its small size

Purpose: Ultrasound (US) use has grown significantly in recent years. Due to technical developments of high-end US systems, this modality is not only used for diagnosis and routine check-ups, but increasingly used for guidance during vascular access or procedures such as biopsies, ablations and drainages. A limitation of these high-end US systems are their large footprint and high cost. Portable US devices may play a role in replacing high-end systems for specific tasks in the interventional room. Here, we have investigated the clinical utility of a novel tablet-based US device for vascular access. Materials: For 18 consecutive patients that underwent an interventional procedure, first attempt to gain arterial access was performed with a linear probe using a portable US machine (Lumify, Philips). For all procedures, a secondary high-end system was available in the room in case image quality on the portable system was perceived as insufficient.Operators were asked to rate image quality of needle and target (insufficient, sufficient, good, excellent) and whether a conversion to high-end US system was required. Results: Successful access was obtained using the tablet system in 94.4% of cases (17/18). Access locations included: left radial artery (n ¼ 7) and right femoral artery (n ¼ 11). One case in a pediatric patient required conversion to a high-end system due to insufficient visibility of the needle. In all cases, the image quality of the target was scored sufficient or higher. Overall, image quality was scored excellent in 77.8% (14/18) of cases. Conclusions: For the majority of the cases, the tablet based US machine provided sufficient image quality to successfully gain arterial access. This tablet-based solution could replace large high-end US machines for a variety of routine procedures and may provide an improved workflow and more flexibility in the interventional suite. Abstract No. 460An ex-vivo study on needle placement accuracy of a pre-clinical robotic guidance system