MR-Guided Tissue Puncture with On-Line Imaging for High-Resolution Theranostics

Methods of treating cancer, such as radiation or ablation, require tissue characterization prior to therapy, which today requires tissue biopsy. Typically, the tissue is excised from the body and examined by the pathologist with a microscope. In this paper, we present an alternative device that attempts to perform in-situ tissue characterization. We aim to accomplish this by utilizing a deflectable stylet (a metallic object employed for puncturing muscular tissue) in conjunction with MR Imaging along the stylet trajectory. We discuss the design and fabrication of an actively tracked deflectable stylet, the mechanism to deflect the stylet, and the system assembly, as well as the incorporation of the coils for MR Tracking and Imaging. Additionally, a preliminary evaluation of the system is presented to validate the feasibility of its use for high-resolution theranostics.