In this paper we introduce a remotely actuated MRI-compatible needle driving device for pain injections in the lower back. This device is able to manipulate the needle inside the closed-bore MRI scanner under the control of the interventional radiologist inside both the scanner room and the console room. The device consists of a 2 degrees of freedom (DOF) needle driver and an actuation box. The 2-DOF needle driver is placed inside the scanner bore and driven by the actuation box settled at the end of the table through a beaded chain transmission. This novel remote actuation design could reduce the weight and profile of the needle driver that is mounted on the patient, as well as minimize the potential imaging noise introduced by the actuation electronics. The actuation box is designed to perform needle intervention in both manual and motorized fashion by utilizing a mode switch mechanism. A mechanical hard stop is also incorporated to improve the device's safety. The bench-top accuracy evaluation of the device demonstrated a small mean needle placement error (< 1 mm) in a phantom study.
Keywords: MRI-guided intervention; beaded chain transmission; needle driving device; pain management; remote actuation.