Research Terms
Many therapeutic, as well as diagnostic, procedures require the identification of a region of the patient anatomy for targeting. Such procedures may include a biopsy, placement of a shunt catheter, craniotomies, selection of a region for diagnostic imaging, or selection of a path for safe and effective placement of medical hardware (screws, pins, etc). Current methods in planning either a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure are largely dependent on the individual clinician's experience and expertise. University of Florida researchers have developed a new method for rapidly fabricating custom, patient-specific devices used to accurately plan and perform these delicate medical procedures.
Instrumentation for guiding patient-specific medical procedures
University of Florida researchers' new method of fabricating custom, patient-specific devices incorporates the use of rapid prototyping technology. The anatomy of a patient to be treated is scanned to provide reference scan data. A custom device design is then adapted for the patient by adjusting (through a rigid or non-rigid deformation) the anatomy of a standard anatomic specimen to match the anatomy of the patient. The technology does not require any prescan preparation such as placement of screws or reference pins or fiducials.efficiency, which is much needed in today's wireless ad hoc network design.
This system of robotic arms increases accuracy and efficiency of image guided surgery (IGS). The IGS device market is projected to exceed $5 billion by 2023. Although they provide an improvement to surgical accuracy and precision, available IGS systems offer no reduction in operation time, have limited use within the surgical field environment, and do not produce intraoperative images of comparable quality to CT scans. These limitations have hindered the adoption of available IGS systems in applications such as spinal surgery.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a comprehensive IGS system that utilizes robotic arms and robotic imaging platforms to enhance safety and precision. The system uses three robots that manipulate imaging and surgical components into and out of the operative field to improve surgery efficiency and eliminate sterile surgical field issues associated with available intraoperative IGS.
System of robotic arms and imaging platforms that enhances the accuracy and efficiency of intraoperative image-guided surgery
This imaging system incorporates robotic imaging and tool-holding arms that increase operational accuracy and precision, thereby providing higher-quality imaging while reducing operation time. The design includes three integrated robots, two for imaging and one for tool-holding. The imaging robots are capable of advanced two-dimensional and three-dimensional image acquisition and reconstruction and perform automatic image space calibration and registration. The tool-holding robot supports universal, on-the-fly tool calibration and advanced tool guidance.
These mixed-reality simulators, which include 3D models of body parts and real-time visual feedback software, allow medical residents to practice surgical techniques before operating on real patients. The 3D printed models are constructed from scans of actual patients’ brains, spines, or other body parts, and are synched with corresponding virtual fluoroscopy images in the software program as well as an image guidance workstation to approximate a real surgery. Using this technology, a surgical resident can, for example, insert a needle into a model while monitoring the instrument’s real-time movements on a virtual fluoroscopy screen; this closely matches the experience of performing a computer-assisted surgery. The ability to rehearse a series of surgical steps using realistically-weighted tools and receive immediate feedback, including numeric scoring of surgical objectives, can help residents improve their techniques in the virtual world, alleviating anxiety and eliminating risks to patients on operation day. Such hands-on education combined with appropriate accurate disease specific anatomy is preferable to watching many surgeries and then practicing on a few cadavers (the way most students currently learn) since it offers greater realism. The market for mixed-reality technologies is expected to grow to nearly $5.2 billion in 2016 with a compound annual growth rate of 95.4 percent.
Mixed reality system of 3D-printed models and visual feedback software for creating lifelike, realistic practice surgeries
This mixed-reality surgery simulator pairs models of brains made on 3D printers with images that correspond to surgical procedures. Researchers create the models by feeding MRI and CT scans taken from previous patients into 3D printers and covering the printed skulls with simulated skin covers. Surgeons-in-training can then, for example, insert a needle through the model’s cheek and into the appropriate part of the brain while watching the needle's progress on an imaging screen, just as they would with a device called a fluoroscope during a real surgery.
This system offers control for the guidance of a biopsy needle. Medical professionals frequently use tomography and radiographic imaging methods such as X-ray and fluoroscopy to guide an advancing catheter to a specific target. Although the radiation doses received by patients and medical personnel in a diagnostic setting are low, their exposure to radiation during interventional procedures can reach alarming levels. Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a medical imaging system that minimizes ionizing radiation exposure. This new technology will enable precise, accurate tracking and guidance of biopsy needles while minimizing radiation exposure to both patient and medical personnel.
Three-dimensional guidance of needle device during diagnostic or interventional procedures
This medical imaging system consists of a computer controlled system for guiding a needle device, such as a biopsy needle, using computed tomography imaging (CTI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluoroscopic imaging, or 3D ultrasound system, or any combination of these systems. The 3D ultrasound system includes a combination of an ultrasound probe and both passive and active infrared tracking systems, enabling a real-time imaging display of the entire region of interest without probe movement. This new technology will facilitate more accurate and precise tracking and guidance of biopsy needles while minimizing exposure to ionizing radiation to both patient and medical personnel.
