The development and evaluation of a three-dimensional ultrasound-guided breast biopsy apparatus

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Robotic Device for MRI-Guided Needle Breast Biopsy

This study concerns the development and evaluation of a simple and ergonomic robotic system for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-guided needle breast biopsy with lateral needle approach. The device comprises two piezoelectrically actuated linear motion stages intended to align a needle supporter with the target for manual needle insertion. The device demonstrated submillimeter accuracy and safe operation within a 3 T clinical MRI scanner. In phantom studies, tumor simulators of varying sizes were successfully targeted in both laboratory and MRI settings.

Imaging properties of 3D printed breast phantoms for lesion localization and Core needle biopsy training

Background

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in females and frequently requires core needle biopsy (CNB) to guide management. Adequate training resources for CNB suffer tremendous limitations in reusability, accurate simulation of breast tissue, and cost. The relatively recent advent of 3D printing offers an alternative for the development of breast phantoms for training purposes. However, the feasibility of this technology for the purpose of ultrasound (US) guided breast intervention has not been thoroughly studied.

Methods

We designed three breast phantom models that were printed in multiple resins available through Stratasys, including VeroClear, TangoPlus and Tissue Matrix. We also constructed several traditional breast phantoms using chicken breast and Knox gelatin for comparison. These phantoms were compared side-by-side for ultrasound penetrance, simulation of breast tissue integrity, anatomic accuracy, reusability, and cost.

Results

3D printed breast phantoms were more anatomically accurate models than traditional breast phantoms. The chicken breast phantom provided acceptable US beam penetration and material hardness for simulation of human breast tissue integrity. Sonographic image quality of the chicken breast phantom was the most accurate overall. The gelatin-based phantom also had acceptable US beam penetration and image quality; however, this material was too soft and poorly simulated breast tissue integrity. 3D printed phantoms were not visible under US.

Conclusions

There is a large unmet need for a printable material that is truly compatible with multimodality imaging for breast and other soft tissue intervention. Further research is warranted to create a realistic, reusable and affordable material to 3D print phantoms for US-guided intervention training.

An anthropomorphic polyvinyl alcohol brain phantom based on Colin27 for use in multimodal imaging

PURPOSE

In this paper, the method for the creation of an anatomically and mechanically realistic brain phantom from polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (PVA-C) is proposed for validation of image processing methods such as segmentation, reconstruction, registration, and denoising. PVA-C is material widely used in medical imaging phantoms because of its mechanical similarities to soft tissues.

METHODS

The phantom was cast in a mold designed using the left hemisphere of the Colin27 brain dataset [C. Holmes et al., "Enhancement of MR images using registration for signal averaging," J. Comput. Assist. Tomogr. 22(2), 324 (1998)]. Marker spheres and inflatable catheters were also implanted to enable good registration comparisons and to simulate tissue deformation, respectively.

RESULTS

The phantom contained deep sulci, a complete insular region, and an anatomically accurate left ventricle. It was found to provide good contrast in triple modality imaging, consisting of computed tomography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging. Multiple sets of multimodal data were acquired from this phantom.

CONCLUSIONS

The methods for building the anatomically accurate, multimodality phantom were described in this work. All multimodal data are made available freely to the image processing community (http://pvabrain.inria.fr). We believe the phantom images could allow for the validation and further aid in the development of novel medical image processing techniques.

Development of a robotic FD-CT-guided navigation system for needle placement-preliminary accuracy tests

BACKGROUND

A needle placement system using a serial robot arm for manipulation of biopsy and/or treatment needles is introduced. A method for fast calibration of the robot and the preliminary accuracy tests of the robotic system are presented.

METHODS

The setup consists of a DLR/KUKA Light Weight Robot III especially designed for safe human/robot interaction mounted on a mobile platform, a robot-driven angiographic C-arm system and a navigation system.

RESULTS

Calibration of the robot with the navigation system has a residual error of 0.23 mm (rms) with a standard deviation of ± 0.1 mm. Needle targeting accuracy with different trajectories was 1.2 mm (rms) with a standard deviation of ± 0.4 mm.

CONCLUSIONS

Robot absolute positioning accuracy was reduced to the navigation camera accuracy. The approach includes control strategies that may be very useful for interventional applications.

Real-time three-dimensional guided ultrasound targeting system for microwave ablation of liver tumours: a human pilot study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate a novel three-dimensional ultrasound (US) guidance system for use in hepatic microwave ablation (MWA).

METHODS

An in vitro assessment was performed in which users with different degrees of experience were evaluated for accuracy in targeting phantom lesions embedded in agar using US alone, or US in conjunction with the InVision™ System (IVS). An eight-patient pilot trial of the IVS was then performed in the setting of open hepatic MWA, in which lesions would otherwise have been targeted with conventional US.

RESULTS

In vitro studies demonstrated that the IVS significantly improved targeting accuracy at all levels of operator experience (novice, beginner and expert). In the human trial, a total of 31 tumours were targeted and all lesions were hit in one pass, as assessed by independent US image observations. There were no adverse operative events; however, there was minor line-of-sight interference with the infra-red tracking mechanism when some lesions high on the dome of the liver were targeted.

CONCLUSIONS

The IVS significantly increased the accuracy of complex targeting procedures of phantom lesions and enhanced targeting in an eight-patient clinical pilot study. During the accrual phase of this pilot study, the development of improved non-optical tracking hardware obviated the requirement to maintain a direct line of sight. The trial was then halted prematurely in order to focus on the application of the IVS utilizing this non-optical modality.

Image-guided breast biopsy: state-of-the-art

Percutaneous image-guided breast biopsy is widely practised to evaluate predominantly non-palpable breast lesions. There has been steady development in percutaneous biopsy techniques. Fine-needle aspiration cytology was the original method of sampling, followed in the early 1990s by large core needle biopsy. The accuracy of both has been improved by ultrasound and stereotactic guidance. Larger bore vacuum-assisted biopsy devices became available in the late 1990s and are now commonplace in most breast units. We review the different types of breast biopsy devices currently available together with various localization techniques used, focusing on their advantages, limitations and current controversial clinical management issues.

Integration and evaluation of a needle-positioning robot with volumetric microcomputed tomography image guidance for small animal stereotactic interventions

PURPOSE

Preclinical research protocols often require insertion of needles to specific targets within small animal brains. To target biologically relevant locations in rodent brains more effectively, a robotic device has been developed that is capable of positioning a needle along oblique trajectories through a single burr hole in the skull under volumetric microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) guidance.

METHODS

An x-ray compatible stereotactic frame secures the head throughout the procedure using a bite bar, nose clamp, and ear bars. CT-to-robot registration enables structures identified in the image to be mapped to physical coordinates in the brain. Registration is accomplished by injecting a barium sulfate contrast agent as the robot withdraws the needle from predefined points in a phantom. Registration accuracy is affected by the robot-positioning error and is assessed by measuring the surface registration error for the fiducial and target needle tracks (FRE and TRE). This system was demonstrated in situ by injecting 200 microm tungsten beads into rat brains along oblique trajectories through a single burr hole on the top of the skull under micro-CT image guidance. Postintervention micro-CT images of each skull were registered with preintervention high-field magnetic resonance images of the brain to infer the anatomical locations of the beads.

RESULTS

Registration using four fiducial needle tracks and one target track produced a FRE and a TRE of 96 and 210 microm, respectively. Evaluation with tissue-mimicking gelatin phantoms showed that locations could be targeted with a mean error of 154 +/- 113 microm.

CONCLUSIONS

The integration of a robotic needle-positioning device with volumetric micro-CT image guidance should increase the accuracy and reduce the invasiveness of stereotactic needle interventions in small animals.

Technical communication: new teaching model for practicing ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia techniques: no perishable food products!

BACKGROUND

There is a pronounced learning curve for the technique of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia. Practicing with a simulator model has been shown to speed the acquisition of these skills for various ultrasound-guided procedures. However, commercial models for ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia may be too costly or not readily available. Models using turkey breasts or tofu blocks have the disadvantage of containing perishable food products that can be a source for infection. We describe an alternative inexpensive model that is made from nonperishable components readily available in the operating room.

METHODS

The materials required include 1 clean used 500-mL bag of IV fluids, a bottle of Premisorb (TYCO Healthcare Group, Mansfield, MA), and a piece of foam material approximately 0.3 cm in diameter and 5 cm in length trimmed from operating room foam pads. After filling the IV bag with tap water and inserting the foam into the IV bag from the outlet port of the IV bag, one-third of a bottle of Premisorb (approximately 15 g) is poured into the IV bag. The outlet port of the bag is then sealed by taping the rubber stopper that originally came with the bag.

RESULTS

Premisorb, a solidifying agent frequently used to absorb irrigating fluids or blood in operating room suction canisters, produces a gel-like material in the IV bag. The foam inserted into the bag creates a relatively hyperechoic target. This gel-like substance in the bag will seal the holes created after multiple practice needle insertions, resulting in minimal leakage. The semitransparent nature of the gel allows the trainee to visualize the target directly and on the ultrasound screen.

CONCLUSION

The model we describe is inexpensive and easy to make from materials readily available in the operating room with the advantages of being nonperishable, easy to carry, and reusable.

Accuracy of ultrasound-guided, large-core needle breast biopsy

Ultrasound-guided, large-core needle biopsy (US-LCNB) of suspicious breast lesions is acknowledged as less invasive and less expensive and less time consuming than surgical biopsy, and provides a histologic diagnosis with a comparable high degree. US-LCNB has been proven to help reduce the number of unnecessary surgeries for benign disease. Its limitations, however, are false-negative results and underestimation of disease. Thus, the demand for breast teams is to carefully adhere to the principles of triple assessment and imaging-histologic correlation, and follow-up of lesions with a specific benign histology after biopsy. Also, the acceptance of guidelines and rigorous quality controls help to reliably minimize the delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer in patients with false-negative biopsies. This paper aims to summarize the equipment and methods as well as the benefits and limitations of US-LCNB. Also, guidelines of quality assessment are suggested. Finally, recent developments which may help to overcome the limitations of US-LCNB will be discussed, i.e., directional vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB), three-dimensional (3D) US-guided biopsy, as well as the use of tissue harmonic imaging (THI) and compound imaging (CI) during biopsy.

Registered 3-D ultrasound and digital stereotactic mammography for breast biopsy guidance

Large core needle biopsy is a common procedure used to obtain histological samples when cancer is suspected in diagnostic breast images. The procedure is typically performed under image guidance, with freehand ultrasound and stereotactic mammography (SM) being the most common modalities used. To utilize the advantages of both modalities, a biopsy device combining three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) and digital SM imaging with computer-aided needle guidance was developed. An implementation of a stereo camera method was applied to SM calibration, providing a target localization error of 0.35 mm. The 3-D transformation between the two imaging modalities was then derived, with a target registration error of 0.52 mm. Finally, the needle guidance error of the device was evaluated using tissue-mimicking phantoms, showing a sample mean and standard deviation of 0.44 +/- 0.22 and 0.49 +/- 0.27 mm for targets planned from 3DUS and SM images, respectively. These results suggest that a biopsy procedure guided using this device would successfully sample breast lesions at a size greater than or equal to the smallest typically detected in mammographic screening (approximately 2 mm).

Simultaneous ultrasound and MRI system for breast biopsy: compatibility assessment and demonstration in a dual modality phantom

Simultaneous capturing of ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) images allows fusion of information obtained from both modalities. We propose an MR-compatible US system where MR images are acquired in a known orientation with respect to the US imaging plane and concurrent real-time imaging can be achieved. Compatibility of the two imaging devices is a major issue in the physical setup. Tests were performed to quantify the radio frequency (RF) noise introduced in MR and US images, with the US system used in conjunction with MRI scanner of different field strengths (0.5 T and 3 T). Furthermore, simultaneous imaging was performed on a dual modality breast phantom in the 0.5 T open bore and 3 T close bore MRI systems to aid needle-guided breast biopsy. Fiducial based passive tracking and electromagnetic based active tracking were used in 3 T and 0.5 T, respectively, to establish the location and orientation of the US probe inside the magnet bore. Our results indicate that simultaneous US and MR imaging are feasible with properly-designed shielding, resulting in negligible broadband noise and minimal periodic RF noise in both modalities. US can be used for real time display of the needle trajectory, while MRI can be used to confirm needle placement.

Stereotactic mammography imaging combined with 3D US imaging for image guided breast biopsy

Stereotactic X-ray mammography (SM) and ultrasound (US) guidance are both commonly used for breast biopsy. While SM provides three-dimensional (3D) targeting information and US provides real-time guidance, both have limitations. SM is a long and uncomfortable procedure and the US guided procedure is inherently two dimensional (2D), requiring a skilled physician for both safety and accuracy. The authors developed a 3D US-guided biopsy system to be integrated with, and to supplement SM imaging. Their goal is to be able to biopsy a larger percentage of suspicious masses using US, by clarifying ambiguous structures with SM imaging. Features from SM and US guided biopsy were combined, including breast stabilization, a confined needle trajectory, and dual modality imaging. The 3D US guided biopsy system uses a 7.5 MHz breast probe and is mounted on an upright SM machine for preprocedural imaging. Intraprocedural targeting and guidance was achieved with real-time 2D and near real-time 3D US imaging. Postbiopsy 3D US imaging allowed for confirmation that the needle was penetrating the target. The authors evaluated 3D US-guided biopsy accuracy of their system using test phantoms. To use mammographic imaging information, they registered the SM and 3D US coordinate systems. The 3D positions of targets identified in the SM images were determined with a target localization error (TLE) of 0.49 mm. The z component (x-ray tube to image) of the TLE dominated with a TLEz of 0.47 mm. The SM system was then registered to 3D US, with a fiducial registration error (FRE) and target registration error (TRE) of 0.82 and 0.92 mm, respectively. Analysis of the FRE and TRE components showed that these errors were dominated by inaccuracies in the z component with a FREz of 0.76 mm and a TREz of 0.85 mm. A stereotactic mammography and 3D US guided breast biopsy system should include breast compression for stability and safety and dual modality imaging for target localization. The system will provide preprocedural x-ray mammography information in the form of SM imaging along with real-time US imaging for needle guidance to a target. 3D US imaging will also be available for targeting, guidance, and biopsy verification immediately postbiopsy.

Fast prostate segmentation in 3D TRUS images based on continuity constraint using an autoregressive model

In this article a new slice-based 3D prostate segmentation method based on a continuity constraint, implemented as an autoregressive (AR) model is described. In order to decrease the propagated segmentation error produced by the slice-based 3D segmentation method, a continuity constraint was imposed in the prostate segmentation algorithm. A 3D ultrasound image was segmented using the slice-based segmentation method. Then, a cross-sectional profile of the resulting contours was obtained by intersecting the 2D segmented contours with a coronal plane passing through the midpoint of the manually identified rotational axis, which is considered to be the approximate center of the prostate. On the coronal cross-sectional plane, these intersections form a set of radial lines directed from the center of the prostate. The lengths of these radial lines were smoothed using an AR model. Slice-based 3D segmentations were performed in the clockwise and in the anticlockwise directions, where clockwise and anticlockwise are defined with respect to the propagation directions on the coronal view. This resulted in two different segmentations for each 2D slice. For each pair of unmatched segments, in which the distance between the contour generated clockwise and that generated anticlockwise was greater than 4 mm, a method was used to select the optimal contour. Experiments performed using 3D prostate ultrasound images of nine patients demonstrated that the proposed method produced accurate 3D prostate boundaries without manual editing. The average distance between the proposed method and manual segmentation was 1.29 mm. The average intraobserver coefficient of variation (i.e., the standard deviation divided by the average volume) of the boundaries segmented by the proposed method was 1.6%. The average segmentation time of a 352 x 379 x 704 image on a Pentium IV 2.8 GHz PC was 10 s.

Design and validation of a robotic needle positioning system for small animal imaging applications

A needle-positioning robot has been developed for image-guided interventions in small animals. The device is designed to position a needle with an error < or =100 microm. The robot has two rotational axes (pitch and roll) to control needle orientation, and one linear axis to perform needle insertion. The three axes intersect at a single point, creating a remote center of motion. Needle positioning error was quantified at ten target locations for each rotational plane. The measured needle positioning accuracy in free space was 54 +/-12 microm and 91 +/- 21 microm for the pitch and roll axes, respectively. The device's accuracy compares favorably with the sizes of typical interventional targets in mouse models.

Design, calibration and evaluation of a robotic needle-positioning system for small animal imaging applications

A needle-positioning robot has been developed for image-guided interventions in small animal research models. The device is designed to position a needle with an error < or =100 microm. The robot has two rotational axes (pitch and roll) to control needle orientation, and one linear axis to perform needle insertion. The three axes intersect at a single point to create a remote centre of motion (RCM) that acts as a fulcrum for the orientation of the needle. The RCM corresponds to the skin-entry point of the needle into the animal. The robot was calibrated to ensure that the three axes intersected at a single point defining an RCM and that the needle tip was positioned at the RCM. Needle-positioning accuracy and precision were quantified in Cartesian coordinates at ten target locations in the plane of each rotational axis. The measured needle-positioning accuracy in free space was 54 +/- 12 microm for the pitch axis plane and 91 +/- 21 microm for the roll axis plane. The measured needle-positioning precision was 15 and 17 microm for the pitch and roll axes planes, respectively. The robot's ability to insert a needle into a tumour in a euthanized mouse was demonstrated.

3D TRUS Image Segmentation in Prostate Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive interventional surgery used to treat prostate cancer. It is composed of three steps: dose pre-planning, implantation of radioactive seeds, and dose post-planning. In these procedures, it is crucial to determine the positions of needles and seeds, measure the volume of the prostate gland. Three-dimensional transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) imaging has been demonstrated to be a useful technique to perform such tasks. Compared to CT, MRI or X-ray imaging, US image suffers from low contrast, image speckle and shadows, making it challenging for segmentation of needles, the prostates and seeds in the 3D TRUS images. In this paper, we reviewed 3D TRUS image segmentation methods used in prostate brachytherapy including the segmentations of the needles, the prostate, as well as the seeds. Furthermore, some experimental results with agar phantom, turkey and chicken phantom, as well as the patient data are reported.

Automated localization of implanted seeds in 3D TRUS images used for prostate brachytherapy

An algorithm has been developed in this paper to localize implanted radioactive seeds in 3D ultrasound images for a dynamic intraoperative brachytherapy procedure. Segmentation of the seeds is difficult, due to their small size in relatively low quality of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images. In this paper, intraoperative seed segmentation in 3D TRUS images is achieved by performing a subtraction of the image before the needle has been inserted, and the image after the seeds have been implanted. The seeds are searched in a "local" space determined by the needle position and orientation information, which are obtained from a needle segmentation algorithm. To test this approach, 3D TRUS images of the agar and chicken tissue phantoms were obtained. Within these phantoms, dummy seeds were implanted. The seed locations determined by the seed segmentation algorithm were compared with those obtained from a volumetric cone-beam flat-panel micro-CT scanner and human observers. Evaluation of the algorithm showed that the rms error in determining the seed locations using the seed segmentation algorithm was 0.98 mm in agar phantoms and 1.02 mm in chicken phantoms.

Projection-based needle segmentation in 3D ultrasound images

Needles are used extensively in interventional procedures such as biopsy and brachytherapy. To deliver radioactive seeds to pre-planned positions or sample lesions from the region that may contain cancer cells, the 3D position of the needle must be determined accurately and quickly. Three-dimensional ultrasound (US) image guidance is an efficient technique used to perform this task. In this paper, we describe the development of a projection-based needle segmentation method comprising three steps. First, the 3D image is projected along an initial direction perpendicular to the approximate needle direction determined from the 3D imaging system. The needle is then segmented in a projected 2D image. Using the projection direction and the detected 2D needle direction, a plane containing the needle--called the needle plane--is determined. Secondly, the 3D image is re-projected in the direction perpendicular to the normal of the needle plane and step 1 is repeated. If the needle direction in the projected 2D image is horizontal, the needle plane is correct; otherwise, steps 1 and 2 are repeated until a correct needle plane is found. Thirdly, the 3D image is projected along the normal direction of the needle plane and the needle endpoints in the projected 2D image are determined. Using the relationship between the 3D projection and the 3D volume coordinate systems, the coordinates of the endpoints of the needle in the 3D US coordinate system are determined. Experiments with agar and turkey phantom 3D US images demonstrated that our method could segment the needle from 3D US images with an average accuracy of 0.7 mm in position and 1.2 degrees in orientation with a speed of 13 fps on a 1.3-GHz PC. In addition, experiments illustrated that our method is robust to variations in the initial estimated needle direction, the size of the cropped volume, and the ray-casting transfer function parameters used in pre-processing.

Oblique needle segmentation and tracking for 3D TRUS guided prostate brachytherapy

An algorithm was developed in order to segment and track brachytherapy needles inserted along oblique trajectories. Three-dimensional (3D) transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images of the rigid rod simulating the needle inserted into the tissue-mimicking agar and chicken breast phantoms were obtained to test the accuracy of the algorithm under ideal conditions. Because the robot possesses high positioning and angulation accuracies, we used the robot as a "gold standard," and compared the results of algorithm segmentation to the values measured by the robot. Our testing results showed that the accuracy of the needle segmentation algorithm depends on the needle insertion distance into the 3D TRUS image and the angulations with respect to the TRUS transducer, e.g., at a 10 degrees insertion anglulation in agar phantoms, the error of the algorithm in determining the needle tip position was less than 1 mm when the insertion distance was greater than 15 mm. Near real-time needle tracking was achieved by scanning a small volume containing the needle. Our tests also showed that, the segmentation time was less than 60 ms, and the scanning time was less than 1.2 s, when the insertion distance into the 3D TRUS image was less than 55 mm. In our needle tracking tests in chicken breast phantoms, the errors in determining the needle orientation were less than 2 degrees in robot yaw and 0.7 degrees in robot pitch orientations, for up to 20 degrees needle insertion angles with the TRUS transducer in the horizontal plane when the needle insertion distance was greater than 15 mm.

Three-dimensional ultrasound for the assessment of breast lesions

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound in comparison with conventional two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound in the characterization of breast lesions.

METHODS

The digitally stored 2D ultrasound images and the corresponding 3D scans of 100 breast lesions (57 malignant, 43 benign) that had been morphologically classified as solid tumors, were independently analyzed by six investigators. Ten 2D and 13 3D ultrasound characteristics were determined. Lesion characterization was classified on a four-point scale and a logistic regression model was used to analyze the data. A receiver-operating characteristics curve (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic performance of 2D and 3D ultrasound, respectively.

RESULTS

Ultrasound criteria showed major differences between 2D and 3D ultrasound. Logistic regression revealed the retraction phenomenon in the coronal plane of the 3D ultrasound scan to be a significant and independent factor for lesion characterization. The characteristics determined on the conventional planes of 3D ultrasound differed from those determined on the 2D ultrasound images. The diagnostic accuracy of 2D and 3D ultrasound in the ROC analysis was almost identical (area under the curve 0.846 and 0.851, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound features on 3D ultrasound differ significantly from those on 2D ultrasound. However, the diagnostic accuracy of both methods is almost identical. 3D ultrasound as an adjunct to conventional 2D ultrasound should be evaluated in larger trials to determine its clinical value in breast imaging.

Brachytherapy needle deflection evaluation and correction

In prostate brachytherapy, an 18-gauge needle is used to implant radioactive seeds. This thin needle can be deflected from the preplanned trajectory in the prostate, potentially resulting in a suboptimum dose pattern and at times requiring repeated needle insertion to achieve optimal dosimetry. In this paper, we report on the evaluation of brachytherapy needle deflection and bending in test phantoms and two approaches to overcome the problem. First we tested the relationship between needle deflection and insertion depth as well as whether needle bending occurred. Targeting accuracy was tested by inserting a brachytherapy needle to target 16 points in chicken tissue phantoms. By implanting dummy seeds into chicken tissue phantoms under 3D ultrasound guidance, the overall accuracy of seed implantation was determined. We evaluated methods to overcome brachytherapy needle deflection with three different insertion methods: constant orientation, constant rotation, and orientation reversal at half of the insertion depth. Our results showed that needle deflection is linear with needle insertion depth, and that no noticeable bending occurs with needle insertion into the tissue and agar phantoms. A 3D principal component analysis was performed to obtain the population distribution of needle tip and seed position relative to the target positions. Our results showed that with the constant orientation insertion method, the mean needle targeting error was 2.8 mm and the mean seed implantation error was 2.9 mm. Using the constant rotation and orientation reversal at half insertion depth methods, the deflection error was reduced. The mean needle targeting errors were 0.8 and 1.2 mm for the constant rotation and orientation reversal methods, respectively, and the seed implantation errors were 0.9 and 1.5 mm for constant rotation insertion and orientation reversal methods, respectively.

3D ultrasound guided breast biopsy system

Stereotactic X-ray mammography (SM) and ultrasound (US) guidance are commonly used techniques for breast biopsy. While SM provides 3D targeting information and US provides real-time guidance, both techniques have limitations. SM is a long and uncomfortable procedure and the US guided procedure is inherently 2D, requiring a skilled physician for both safety and accuracy. We have developed a 3D US-guided biopsy system to integrate with SM. The dual modality breast biopsy system combines the advantages of both approaches with 3D US and SM targeting, near real-time 3D and real-time 2D US guidance, breast stabilisation and a confined needle trajectory. Our goal is to be able to biopsy a larger percentage of suspicious masses using ultrasound, by clarifying ambiguous structures with mammographic imaging. Using breast phantoms, we have shown that our ultrasound guided biopsy system was capable of targeting artificial lesions that were 3.2 mm in diameter, with a 96% success rate. Through this study, we also demonstrated that our system was equivalent to current clinical practice, for an in vitro biopsy task. Metal beads in known relative positions allowed us to determine the geometry of the SM system, so that stereotactic mammography could be registered to 3D US images. The target registration error was found to be 1.6 mm. This error was dominated by positioning error in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the film surface). As an adjunct to SM, we propose that 3D US could provide more complete imaging information for target identification and real-time monitoring of needle insertion, as well as providing a means for rapid confirmation of biopsy success.

Four-dimensional real-time sonographically guided cauterization of the umbilical cord in a case of twin-twin transfusion syndrome

In the past decade, three-dimensional (3D) sonographic technology has matured from a static imaging modality to near-real-time imaging. One of the more notable improvements in this technology has been the speed with which the imaged volume is acquired and displayed. This has enabled the birth of the near-real-time or four-dimensional (4D) sonographic concept. Using the 4D feature of the current 3D sonography machines allows us to follow moving structures, such as fetal motion, in almost real time. Shortly after the emergence of 3D and 4D technology as a clinical imaging tool, its use in guiding needles into structures was explored by other investigators. We present a case in which we used the 4D feature of our sonographic equipment to follow the course and motion of an instrument inserted into the uterus to occlude the umbilical cord of a fetus in a case of twin-twin transfusion syndrome.

Automatic needle segmentation in three-dimensional ultrasound images using two orthogonal two-dimensional image projections

In this paper, we describe an algorithm to segment a needle from a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound image by using two orthogonal two-dimensional (2D) image projections. Not only is the needle more conspicuous in a projected (volume-rendered) image, but its direction in 3D lies in the plane defined by the projection direction and the needle direction in the projected 2D image. Hence, using two such projections, the 3D vector describing the needle direction lies along the intersection of the two corresponding planes. Thus, the task of 3D needle segmentation is reduced to two 2D needle segmentations. For improved accuracy and robustness, we use orthogonal projection directions (both orthogonal to a given a priori estimate of the needle direction), and use volume cropping and Gaussian transfer functions to remove complex background from the 2D projection images. To evaluate our algorithm, we tested it with 3D ultrasound images of agar and turkey breast phantoms. Using a 500 MHz personal computer equipped with a commercial volume-rendering card, we found that our 3D needle segmentation algorithm performed in near real time (about 10 fps) with a root-mean-square accuracy in needle length and endpoint coordinates of better than 0.8 mm, and about 0.5 mm on average, for needles lengths in the 3D image from 4.0 mm to 36.7 mm.