Robot-assisted biopsy using ultrasound guidance: initial results from in vitro tests

The purpose of this study was to develop a robotic system for ultrasound (US)-guided biopsy and to validate the feasibility, accuracy and efficacy using phantom tests. Twenty peas (mean diameter 9.3 +/- 0.1 mm) embedded within a gel-phantom were selected for biopsy. Once the best access was defined, the position of the US transducer was recorded by an optical tracking system. Positional data of the transducer and the corresponding US image were transferred to the roboter planning system (LINUX-based industrial PC equipped with video capture card). Once the appropriate position, angulation and pitch were calculated, the robotic arm moved automatically with seven degrees-of-freedom to the planned insertion path, aiming the needle-positioning unit at the center of the target. Then, the biopsy was performed manually using a coaxial technique. The length of all harvested specimens was measured, and the deviation of the actual needle tract from the center of the target was evaluated sonographically. In all targets, the biopsy specimen (mean length 5 +/- 1.2 mm) was harvested with only one needle pass required The mean deviation of the needle tip from the center of the target was 1.1 +/- 0.8 mm. Robotic assisted biopsies in-vitro using US-guidance were feasible and provided high accuracy.