Automatic search for the cross section to be treated using an ultrasound therapy robot

Abstract

In recent years, non-infectious diseases, including malignant tumors, have become the leading cause of death worldwide. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) therapy, a non-invasive treatment using ultrasound, has been attracting attention as a treatment for cancer. To realize HIFU therapy for abdominal organs, it is necessary to track the organs as they move with respiration. Therefore, we consider automation of the entire system. In this paper, we propose a treatment cross-section search model ”AASCT” for automatic scanning of the robot-mounted probe to the target position. We also develop an optimal cross-sectional search flow. The search flow was based on z-axis search first, followed by y-axis search. In target image retrieval, retrieval accuracy tended to be higher for long-axis images and lower for short-axis images.