Design, Fabrication, and Testing of a Flexible Three-Dimensional Printed Percutaneous Needle with Embedded Actuators
Abstract Percutaneous needle procedures have replaced open surgeries in cancer treatments to perform the tasks with minimal invasiveness to the tissue. Precise placement of the needle at target positions in cancer diagnostic (e.g., breast biopsy) or therapeutic (e.g., prostate brachytherapy) procedures governs the success of such procedures. Also, in many applications it is desired to steer the needle away from critical organs or anatomical obstacles towards the target. This work introduces a three-dimensional (3D) printed surgical needle with embedded actuators for improved flexibility and manipulation inside the tissue towards the target. The needle is manipulated via a programmed portable motorized control unit. Performance evaluation experiments in air and in a tissue phantom showed an average angular deflection of 11 degrees towards each actuator. The needle's capability to reach the target, avoiding obstacles has also been shown. The controllable 3D deflection of the needle is expected to assist in breast cancer lumpectomy for multiple extractions of tissue samples or in prostate brachytherapy via a curvilinear approach. The needle can be eventually used in trajectory tracking and to improve targeting accuracy.