Rao P. Gullapalli1, Michael Kolz2, Mingyen Ho3, George Makris1, Alan B. McMillan1, Marc Simard2, Jaydev P. Desai3
1Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD, United States
The development of a multi-digited minimally invasive intracranial robot (MINIR) that can be deployed through a narrow corridor to approach and resect a tumor, and capable of operating outside the line-of-sight under continuous MR imaging guidance is described. The robot was tested on phantoms and on pig brains for its maneuverability, and to study the effect of the robot on the signal to noise, and geometric distortion during imaging both with and without activation. The multiple digits of the robot were clearly visible under MR and the images exhibited minimal signal to noise degradation and image distortion.
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