Development of a mechatronic guidance system for targeted ultrasound‐guided biopsy under high‐resolution positron emission mammography localization

Purpose Image‐guided needle biopsy of small, detectable lesions is crucial for early‐stage diagnosis, treatment planning, and management breast cancer. High‐resolution positron emission mammography (PEM) a dedicated functional imaging modality that can detect cancer independent tissue density, but anatomical context real‐time visualization are not yet available to guide biopsy. We propose mechatronic guidance system integrating an ultrasound (US)‐guided core‐needle (CNB) with high‐resolution PEM localization improve the spatial sampling lesions. This paper presents benchtop testing phantom studies evaluate accuracy its constituent components targeted PEM‐US‐guided under simulated localization. Methods A was developed operate Radialis conventional US system. The includes user‐operated arm end‐effector device, transducer CNB gun, focused on remote center motion (RCM). Custom software modules were track, display, device. Registration detector plate performed using landmark‐based method. Testing fiducials positioned in peripheral central regions registration error quantified. Breast experiments ideal detection bias complete perform assessed phantoms Three‐dimensional positioning quantified, principal component analysis directional trends 3D space within 95% prediction intervals. Targeted biopsies test overall in‐plane targeting Results mean errors 0.63 mm (N = 44) 0.73 72) plate, respectively. ellipsoid shows volume <2.0 diameter, centered error. Under localization, targets <1.0 diameter be sampled confidence. able successfully spatially sample lesions, 4 6 height 20) known positions image coordinate space. 0.85 0.64 0.44 cross‐plane errors. resulted 1.08 15) allowing 1.32 radius Conclusions demonstrated utility our showed ability accurately guide, position, target <3.0 Future work will integrate toward combined