Surgical needle reconstruction using small-angle multi-view X-ray

In biopsies, drainages, vertebroplasty, and other needle-based procedures, insight on the 3D position of a needle is crucial for correct navigation by the clinician. In this paper, we present a method for the reconstruction of surgical needles using multi-view X-ray imaging with a small motion of the C-arm. It is required that the extent of the motion is limited (<; 30 degrees) to allow use of this method during an intervention. This small motion provides sufficient multi-view information, which is used in combination with a needle model for the 3D reconstruction of the needle. To this end, we describe a system comprising the steps of (a) needle detection in a novel, RANSAC-based framework, (b) tracking of needles in subsequent views using geometric constraints and (c) needle reconstruction. Results are presented in comparison to a volume reconstruction using a full rotation of the C-arm (≈207 degrees), showing good accuracy of the proposed method.