Virtual Planning of Needle Trajectories Using a Haptic Interface for a Brachytherapy Parallel Robot: An Evaluation Study

Brachytherapy (BT) is a modality to treat cancer by inserting needles into a patient to deliver radioactive sources direct to the diseased tissue. The efficiency of the treatment is determined by the positions of the needles. A robot can be used in order to increase the precision of the needles locations. This paper presents an approach for needle trajectory planning based on isomorphic mapping from a haptic device. A virtual reality environment has been modelled containing a 3D reconstructed abdominal model of the patient. Needle insertion using the BT robot is controlled using a Force Dimension Omega haptic device. The developed software application allows the users to practice robotic needle insertion and to determine the most appropriate locations for the BT needles.