We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Events

ATTENTION: Due to the COVID-19 PANDEMIC, many events are being rescheduled for a later date, converted into virtual venues, or altogether cancelled. Please check with the event organizer or website prior to planning for any forthcoming event.

Robotic 3D Ultrasound System Improves Accuracy of Liver Cancer Treatment

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 27 Jan 2023
Print article
Image: Dr. Derek Cool demonstrating the new robotic 3D ultrasound system (Photo courtesy of Lawson Health)
Image: Dr. Derek Cool demonstrating the new robotic 3D ultrasound system (Photo courtesy of Lawson Health)

Liver cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the world. Surgery is one treatment option for liver cancer, although thermal ablation which uses heat to destroy the cancerous tumor has less complications and a quicker recovery time. It can also be performed on patients who are not fit for surgery due to some reasons. However, thermal ablation requires precise needle placement to treat the cancer without damaging the vital organs and blood vessels surrounding it. Now, a new system that uses ultrasound to construct 3D-images could increase the accuracy of thermal ablation for treating liver cancer.

Generally, ultrasound or CT (computerized tomography) imaging is used to guide needle placement, although both are limited. Although ultrasound is widely available and can be performed in real-time, it delivers only 2D images. On the other hand, a CT scan generates 3D images, but not in real time and is a lengthy process. In order to create 3D ultrasound images, the new system uses a robotic cradle to move a standard ultrasound probe, collecting images and stacking them like puzzle pieces. In a simulated study, researchers at Western University (Ontario, Canada) and Lawson Health Research Institute (Ontario, Canada) used data from 14 patient cases to analyze the technology’s accuracy. They found that with standard imaging, there was complete tumor ablation in 64.3% of cases, while the new system offered complete coverage for 92.9% of cases (13 out of 14 cases). They found that in the one remaining case, the patient could benefit from increased ablation time or intensity. If the robotic ultrasound system proves to be effective, then its portability could enable more widespread use of 3D ultrasound imaging, such as in smaller health care centers. Additionally, it could also reduce imaging wait times by eliminating the need for CT scans.

“We developed a new 3D ultrasound method that shows promise in analyzing whether the complete liver tumor will be ablated by the procedure,” explained Aaron Fenster, professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and scientist at Robarts Research Institute. “And we’re now using the same system to guide the needle directly into the centre of the tumor.”

Related Links:
Western University
Lawson Health Research Institute 

New
Gold Supplier
Portable X-Ray System
FDR Xair
New
Mini PACS
QXLink
New
Ultrasound System
Ultimus 9E
New
Portable X-Ray System
Delft Light

Print article

Channels

MRI

view channel
Image: New research harnesses the power of machine learning in prostate cancer imaging (Photo courtesy of UMiami Health System)

Machine Learning Aids Diagnosis and Prognosis of Prostate Cancer Using MRI

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a reliable tool for prognosis, diagnosis, active surveillance, and reducing the need for biopsy procedures in lower-risk prostate cancer patients.... Read more

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: Tracking radiation treatment in real time promises safer, more effective cancer therapy (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

Real-Time 3D Imaging Provides First-of-Its-Kind View of X-Rays Hitting Inside Body During Radiation Therapy

Radiation is used in treatment for hundreds of thousands of cancer patients each year, bombarding an area of the body with high energy waves and particles, usually X-rays. The radiation can kill cancer... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2023 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.