Abstract
This paper describes a novel image-guided system for precise automatic targeting in minimally invasive keyhole neurosurgery. The system consists of the MARS miniature robot fitted with a mechanical guide for needle, probe or catheter insertion. Intraoperatively, the robot is directly affixed to a head clamp or to the patient's skull. It automatically positions itself with respect to predefined targets in a preoperative CT/MRI image following an anatomical registration with an intraoperative 3D surface scan of the patient's facial features and registration jig. We present the system architecture, surgical protocol, custom hardware (targeting and registration jig), and software modules (preoperative planning, intraoperative execution, 3D surface scan processing, and three-way registration). We also describe a prototype implementation of the system and in vitro registration experiments. Our results indicate a system-wide target registration error of 1.7 mm (standard deviation = 0.7 mm), which is close to the required 1.0-1.5 mm clinical accuracy in many keyhole neurosurgical procedures.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 181-193 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Computer Aided Surgery |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jul 2006 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research is supported in part by a Magneton grant from the Israel Ministry of Industry and Trade. We thank Arik Degani from Mabat 3D Technologies Ltd. and Dr. Tamir Shalom from CogniTens for their generous assistance in acquiring the 3D surface scans, and Haim Yeffet for manufacturing the experimental setup platform.
Keywords
- Computer-aided neurosurgery
- Medical robotics
- Multimodal registration