Needle path control during insertion in soft tissue using a force-sensor-based deflection estimator

Needle insertion is commonly used in procedures such as prostate brachytherapy or biopsy. In prostate brachytherapy, the success of the procedure depends on the accurate placement of needles in their pre-planned target location. In order to steer the needle towards a defined target, past research has used ultrasound-image-based needle localization for needle tip position feedback. Acquiring and processing of ultrasound images, however, significantly limits the control sampling rate. This work proposes a method for needle path prediction and control without the need for image feedback. The needle tip path obtained during insertion from a force-sensor-based deflection estimator is used to parameterize a kinematic bicycle model. The bicycle model is then used to predict the needle tip path and the ideal rotation depth for reaching a desired target. Experimental results show that the introduced method accurately predicts the needle tip path and the ideal rotation depth to guide the needle to a pre-defined target.