Image Processing and Modeling for Active Needle Steering in Liver Surgery

Image-guided intervention and needle steering for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the liver is reviewed in this paper. In particular, the concept of active needle is proposed for RFA treatment. Methods and techniques of image processing and modeling are presented for a stereo liver model. The liver model and constituent components extracted from computerized tomography (CT) images can be used to plan the navigation paths of the RFA needle. The system also provides an option for active needles, which are more amenable to those refractory cases of RFA treatment.