DIGITAL & ROBOTICS LAB
PROSTATE DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among males, leading to approximately 27,000 deaths in the United States. Focal laser ablation (FLA) has been shown to be a promising approach for prostate cancer treatment with the advantage of efficiently ablating the cancer cells while inflicting less damage on the surrounding tissues. We hypothesized that a compact design of an MRI-conditional robot with two active planar DoFs, one passive rotation DoF, and remote catheter insertion capacities could enhance the clinical workflow required for MRI-guided FLA prostate procedures
TREATMENT PLANNING FOR MRI-GUIDED PROSTATE FOCAL LASER ABLATION
Compared to prostatectomy, image-guided focal laser ablation (FLA) is a minimal invasive approach for treating prostate cancer that better preserves the neurovascular bundles. Visualase-based FLA which is currently in use relies on a rigid template for catheter guidance to deliver laser energy at the target position.
However, the accuracy and efficacy of the manual catheter targeting and manipulation approach are subject to the skills of the interventional radiologist. The NIH OncoNav is a surgical planning software optimized for MRI-guided prostate FLA procedures. The software was integrated with a robotic catheter guide and tested in three canine studies.
The study objective is to develop an automated robot for multi-functional MR-guided prostate therapy, to target abnormalities identified on MRI and to perform the procedure easily and quickly. Pilot clinical studies will be included to validate the system’s use in a hospital setting.