Computer-assisted soft tissue interventions

Computer-assisted therapy in clinical routine is still limited to structures that remain rigid with respect to reference points. Soft tissue generally shows significant motion due to respiration, heart beat, and the interventional procedure itself. Therefore, computer assistance for soft tissue interventions requires strategies to capture and compensate for motion. Since a general solution to the problem is not available, application specific methods have to be developed. The paper presents approaches for computed tomography (CT) guided liver interventions, bronchoscopy, and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.