Thermal Ablation Needle Planning for Consistent Tumor Margins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thermal ablation planning for tumors is time-consuming, operator-dependent, and often results in suboptimal ablation margins, leading to incomplete tumor treatment and increased risk of recurrence, particularly for tumors larger than what can be treated with a single antenna.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using neural ordinary differential equations (ODE) for automatically planning minimally invasive thermal ablation, determining the number and trajectory of RF ablation needles based on pre-operative imaging, ensuring a minimum 5 mm ablation margin, and providing real-time guidance for clinicians.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual planning by clinician is used, then operator experience can be applied, but planning time becomes excessive and results are inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical planning process with an automated computer-based system that uses image processing and algorithms to generate ablation plans, eliminating the time-consuming manual mapping process while ensuring consistent results based on objective criteria rather than operator experience
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automatic self-planning by processing medical images and generating optimized ablation trajectories without requiring clinician intervention for each planning step, thereby reducing planning time while maintaining reliability through algorithmic consistency
2Reliability
If multiple needles are used to treat larger tumors, then complete tumor coverage is achieved, but spatial planning complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex spatial planning problem into manageable components by automatically identifying optimal needle insertion points and trajectories through image processing, allowing multiple needles to be planned systematically rather than through complex manual spatial reasoning
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediate computational layer that translates tumor geometry and ablation requirements into optimized needle trajectories, serving as a mediator between the clinical goal of complete tumor coverage and the practical challenge of coordinating multiple needles in three-dimensional space
3Measurement precision
If navigation systems are used for precise needle positioning, then ablation accuracy is improved, but patient requires prolonged general anesthesia
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs all planning operations pre-operatively using medical images acquired before the procedure, generating the complete ablation plan in advance so that during the actual intervention, only needle execution is required rather than prolonged planning under anesthesia
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the patient's anatomy from pre-operative images to perform all spatial planning and trajectory optimization in the virtual model, allowing precise needle positioning to be determined before the patient enters the operating room
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for planning a thermal ablation of a target object within a biological body includes acquiring an object image within the body, determining an object position within the body from the image, determining external body surface position relative to the object position from the image, acquiring, for an initial set of ablation needles those of types for the ablation, and for each type, a set of characterizing features common to all needles of a same type, including a fixed and/or variable parameter. A neural ordinary differential equation algorithm receives a characterizing feature, external surface position, object position, algorithm for outputting an ablation plan, including a final set of needles for ablating the object, and for each needle of the final set, type, trajectory from the external surface, and optionally, a variable parameter value. The plan is provided through an interface to guide a clinician for object ablation.