DESIGN OF AN MRI-COMPATIBLE ROBOT FOR IMAGE-GUIDED NEEDLE INSERTION PROCEDURES USING ACTIVE TENDON-DRIVEN NEEDLES

Visualization and tip tracking of needles inside the body in needle-based interventions are usually challenging using conventional medical imaging modalities such as ultrasound and CT. MRI provides an amazing imaging feedback for the operator to target lesions with a great confidence. However, the needle should be operated teleoperatively using a robot interface. This work introduces a novel design of an MRI-compatible (slave) robot for image-guided needle insertions. The robot is designed with MRI-compatible materials and actuators to enable manual initial positioning inside the MRI bore prior to operation, as well as robotic teleoperation (insertion and actuation) of an active tendon-driven needle towards targets. The range of motion is shown to be appropriate for transperineal prostate interventions such as prostate biopsy and brachytherapy.