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Abstract #1845

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a MRI-Guided Transrectal Prostate Intervention

Axel Krieger1,2, Sang Eun Song3, Nathan Bongjoon Cho3, Peter Guion4, Iulian Iordachita1, Gabor Fichtinger5, Louis L. Whitcomb1

1Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2Sentinelle Medical Inc., Toronto, Canada; 3Engineering Research Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; 4National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States; 5School of Computing,, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada


This paper reports the design, development and MRI compatibility evaluation of a transrectal prostate robot for MRI-guided intervention. The robot employs an automated needle guide with the goal of increasing needle placement accuracy and reducing interventional procedure times. The design of the robot, employing piezo-ceramic-motor actuated needle guide and manual needle insertion, is reported. Results of a MRI compatibility study show no reduction of MRI image SNR with the motors disabled and a 40% to 60% reduction with the motors enabled. The addition of RF shielding is shown to significantly reduce SNR degradation to the presence of the robotic device.