Multichannel Robot for Image-Guided Brachytherapy

In low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy, precise placement of needle and accurate delivery of radioactive seeds are very important and challenging. Therefore, development of robotic systems for performing brachytherapy is gaining significant momentum. In this paper, we present a multichannel robotic system developed for image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT), especially radioactive seed implantation in prostate gland. The developed multichannel robotic system is capable of inserting a large number of needles concurrently and depositing seeds automatically. Numerous techniques perfected by a variety of experiments have been implemented in the system design and development. Thus, this system possesses potential several advantages such as reduction of target displacement, edema, and operating time as compared to single needle insertion technique. Feasibility and efficacy of this robot has been demonstrated with experimental results. Seeds can be delivered with about within 0.2 mm accuracy.