Development of an out-of-plane motion tracking system for organs using an ultrasound robot

Abstract

Unlike MRI and CT, Ultrasonography is invasive and safety. On the other hand, ultrasound probe manipulation has high degrees of freedom, and the quality of the acquired ultrasound images are highly dependent on the habits and skills of the probe operator. In addition, it is difficult to maintain the same cross-section of organs due to organ movement caused by respiration. Especially, out-of-plane motions lead to dramatic image changes and becomes difficult to track the target organs. Based on the above, the objective of this study is to establish the construction methodology of the organ tracking system especially for the out-of-plane motion of the ultrasound image of the organ.In this report, the kidney was targeted because of its convenience of being able to fit the entire image within the ultrasound image plane.