Positioning System Guides Interventional Needles

A novel guidance system provides three dimensional (3D) visualization and guidance for ultrasound assisted open, percutaneous, and laparoscopic biopsies and ablations.

The InnerOptic AIM System is intended for use in guiding an interventional needle and for predicting its future path. Similar in principle to a global positioning system (GPS), AIM uses electromagnetic tracking to continually monitor the position and orientation of the needle and of the ultrasound transducer, displaying 3D avatars of them in real-time via an intuitive user interface presented on a stereoscopic monitor. Needle placement accuracy is improved by visually rendering the needle trajectory and the needle-ultrasound intersection point.


The system also supports "out-of-plane" needle insertions, giving the surgeon or radiologist the flexibility to accurately place a biopsy or ablation probe at any angle relative to the ultrasound image. When used for ablation, the AIM software displays an ablation volume guide that shows the physician which tissue area may be ablated before the ablation takes place, thus maximizing the destruction to the tumor while minimizing the damage to healthy tissue. The ablation field is visualized with the use of color flow Doppler imaging.

Other benefits of the system include easier, safer, faster, more precise interventions; lower error and injury rates; an easy to use, intuitive user interface; intuitive “freehand” device placement; a 3D interface that restores hand-eye coordination; easy integration into existing imaging systems; and improved patient outcomes. The InnerOptic AIM System is a product of InnerOptic (Hillsborough, NC, USA), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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