The long-term goal of Guidance Core is to provide novel guidance methods to improve the outcome of therapies of dynamically deforming and moving organs. This involves developing unique tissue-embedded wireless electromagnetic sensors (EM) and MR-tracked catheters to verify their feasibility and impact on the clinical procedures performed at the Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating Room (AMIGO). Projects within this Core are:
Integrated navigation system to accurately localize the tumor and guide the surgical instrument to the optimal resection margin in presence of significant tissue deformation. We are developing hardware for the integrated navigation system to enable real-time tumor and instrument tracking; a tumor deformation model to estimate the tumor position and optimal resection margin; software for the integrated navigation system to visualize the tumor and surgical instrument. We continue to validate the design and performance of the integrated navigation system in ex-vivo phantoms and in human clinical trials. (Contact: Jayender Jagadeesan)
Verify the ability of active MRI-tracked metallic interventional devices to improve interventions through improved positional accuracy and improved therapy delivery. We are developing a miniature MRI tracking coil array embedded in flexible and rigid metallic stylets and catheters and improving dedicated MR-tracking pulse sequences to locate the devices so as to rapidly and accurately guide insertion of these devices in soft tissue and to monitor the non-rigid deformation of the target tissues. This is expected to enable clinicians to correct the access path based on these data. In addition, motional data provided by the devices is expected to aid in motion-compensated oxygenation imaging for radiation-dose augmentation to hypoxic tumor segments that resist radiation therapy. (Contact: Junichi Tokuda)