As a low-cost needle navigation system, AngleNav may be used to improve the accuracy, speed, and ease of CT-guided needle punctures. The AngleNav hardware includes a wireless device with a microelectromechanical (MEMS) tracker that can be attached to any standard needle. The physician defines the target, desired needle path and skin entry point on a CT slice image. The accuracy of AngleNav was first tested in a 3D-printed calibration platform in a benchtop setting. An abdominal phantom study was then performed in a CT scanner to validate the accuracy of the device's angular measurement. Finally, an in vivo swine study was performed to guide the needle towards liver targets (n = 8). CT scans of the targets were used to quantify the angular errors and needle tip-to-targeting distance errors between the planned needle path and the final needle position. The MEMS tracker showed a mean angular error of 0.01° with a standard deviation (SD) of 0.62° in the benchtop setting. The abdominal phantom test showed a mean angular error of 0.87° with an SD of 1.19° and a mean tip-to-target distance error of 4.89 mm with an SD of 1.57 mm. The animal experiment resulted in a mean angular error of 6.6° with an SD of 1.9° and a mean tip-to-target distance error of 8.7 mm with an SD of 3.1 mm. These results demonstrated the feasibility of AngleNav for CT-guided interventional workflow. The angular and distance errors were reduced by 64.4 and 54.8% respectively if using AngleNav instead of freehand insertion, with a limited number of operators. AngleNav assisted the physicians to deliver accurate needle insertion during CT-guided intervention. The device could potentially reduce the learning curve for physicians to perform CT-guided needle targeting.
Keywords: Angular tracking; CT-guided biopsy or ablation; MEMS sensor; Tracker.