Biopsy under MRI

At the end of June, Dutch researchers from the University of Twente, working under the guidance of Professor Stefano Stramigioli, unveiled their development – Stormram 4, which is the world's smallest and most accurate robot for biopsy.

Stormram 4 is made of plastic using three-dimensional printing and is driven by air pressure. The advantage of plastic is that it can be used inside a magnetic resonance imaging machine. Conducting a fine needle biopsy (removal of a tissue fragment) during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast significantly increases the accuracy of the procedure, as well as the speed and effectiveness of diagnosis.

The robot received a prestigious award at the Surgical Robotic Challenge, held as part of the Hamlyn Symposium in London, one of the most important events in the field of robotic surgery in the world. The developers are confident that in the near future medical robotics will firmly enter clinical practice.

Stormram 4

The robot is driven by straight and curved air rods. Its movements inside the tomograph are controlled from the outside using 5-meter air pipes. The latest model of the robot is smaller in size than the previous version, which allows it to be placed inside a narrow tunnel of the tomograph.

Biopsy

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. The introduction of a needle into the breast tissue of the patient with penetration into the abnormal tissue (focus) allows you to obtain a tumor sample. Subsequent clinical analysis (biopsy) of the obtained sample allows an accurate diagnosis of the disease.

Noninvasiveness of the procedure

Precise and accurate control of the biopsy needle is extremely important for the effective fight against breast cancer and other types of cancer. The use of special needles, the tip of which can be very hot (thermal ablation) or very cold (cryodestruction) allows you to destroy tumor cells located in the immediate vicinity of the tip. This approach is a non-invasive alternative to the traditional surgical removal of tumors.

The future belongs to robots

Magnetic resonance imaging allows you to solve the problem of accurate detection and visualization of abnormal tissue. Unfortunately, while the movement of the needle is controlled manually, it is impossible to take full advantage of this accuracy. Robots can help solve this problem, but not all of them can be used in combination with magnetic resonance imaging. Robots are often made of metal, which does not allow them to be used in conditions of a strong magnetic field of the tomograph, therefore, the robot developed by the authors consists entirely of plastic.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of University of Twente: UT enters battle against cancer with 3D-printed robot.

12.07.2017