Robot for ultrasound-guided prostate imaging and intervention

The paper presents a new robot for manipulating a transrectal ultrasound probe for image-guided intervention of the prostate, the TRUS robot. The robot positions and orients the probe for image scanning and needle targeting of the prostate. Image slices and their respective position are mapped three-dimensionally to render volumetric images. The robot is designed to accommodate the constraints of the clinical prostate intervention. The robot includes all 4 degrees-of-freedom that are available in manual handling of the probe. In-vitro studies on pelvic mockups verify 3D imaging capabilities. The robot is clinically used in robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for providing intraoperative ultrasound-based navigation for the surgeon.