Visualization, Planning, and Monitoring Software for MRI-Guided Prostate Intervention Robot

This paper reports an interactive software interface for visualization, planning, and monitoring of intra-prostatic needle placement procedures performed with a robotic assistant device inside standard cylindrical high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. We use anatomical visualization and image processing techniques to plan the process and apply active tracking coils to localize the robot in real-time to monitor its motion relative to the anatomy. The interventional system is in Phase-I clinical trials for prostate biopsy and marker seed placement. The system concept, mechanical design, and in-vivo canine studies have been presented earlier [6,10,14]. The software architecture and three-dimensional application software interface discussed in this paper are new additions. This software was tested on pre-recorded patient data.