Biopsy Needle EM Sensor Tracking for Ultrasound Probe Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biopsy apparatuses face challenges in precisely recognizing the position and direction of a biopsy needle during insertion, particularly when equipped with a position tracking sensor, as they require redesigning the ultrasound probe to accommodate the sensor, increasing costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A biopsy apparatus incorporating an ultrasound probe, a biopsy needle with an electromagnetic sensor, and a tracker to obtain position and movement direction information, allowing for operation mode selection between image registration and biopsy modes without modifying the ultrasound probe structure, using an electromagnetic field generator to detect the needle's position and movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a position tracking sensor is attached to the biopsy needle, then the position and direction recognition precision is improved, but the ultrasound probe structure complexity increases due to requiring groove redesign for mounting brackets or guide jigs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the position tracking sensor from the integrated probe-needle system and places it solely on the biopsy needle. This allows the needle to be tracked independently without requiring structural modifications to the ultrasound probe, thus maintaining measurement precision while reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into independent components: the ultrasound probe remains structurally simple while the biopsy needle becomes a self-contained tracking unit with its own sensor. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its function without compromising the other, resolving the contradiction between precision and complexity.
2Reliability
If the ultrasound probe is redesigned to accommodate a position tracking sensor, then the needle tracking capability is improved, but the manufacturing cost and production complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting the sensor from the probe structure and placing it on the needle, the probe manufacturing process remains unchanged. The sensor becomes a separate component attached to the needle, eliminating the need for expensive probe redesign and reducing overall manufacturing costs while maintaining tracking reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The biopsy needle serves multiple functions: it performs the biopsy procedure and simultaneously acts as a tracking carrier for the position sensor. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate tracking hardware in the probe, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while improving tracking capability.
3Ease of operation
If a bracket or guide jig is mounted in the ultrasound probe body, then the sensor attachment is simplified, but the probe design and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor attachment structure is extracted from the probe and relocated to the needle. This eliminates the need for time-consuming probe redesign and production, while the needle itself serves as the mounting structure, simplifying the overall attachment process and reducing development time.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of mounting the sensor in the probe and having the needle attach to it, the patent inverts the approach by placing the sensor directly on the needle. This reversal eliminates the need for probe modifications and simplifies the attachment process, reducing both design and production time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise tracking and operation of the biopsy needle, reducing the need for probe redesign, enhancing image registration accuracy between ultrasound and other modalities, and simplifying the biopsy process while minimizing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a biopsy needle located at a side of the ultrasound probe, and including an electromagnetic (EM) sensor; a tracker configured to obtain position and movement direction information of the biopsy needle
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a biopsy apparatus including an ultrasound probe; a biopsy needle located at a side of the ultrasound probe and including an electromagnetic (EM) sensor; a tracker configured to obtain position and movement direction information of the biopsy needle; and a controller configured to receive, from the tracker, the position and movement direction information of the biopsy needle, and to determine an operation mode, based on the position and movement direction information.