Manually controlled steerable needle for MRI-guided percutaneous interventions

This study aims to develop and evaluate a manually controlled steerable needle that is compatible with and visible on MRI to facilitate full intra-procedural control and accurate navigation in percutaneous interventions. The steerable needle has a working channel that provides a lumen to a cutting stylet or a therapeutic instrument. A steering mechanism based on cable-operated compliant elements is integrated in the working channel. The needle can be steered by adjusting the orientation of the needle tip through manipulation of the handle. The steering mechanism is evaluated by recording needle deflection at constant steering angles. A steering angle of 20.3° results in a deflection of 9.1–13.3 mm in gelatin and 4.6–18.9 mm in porcine liver tissue at an insertion depth of 60 mm. Additionally, the possibility to control the needle path under MRI guidance is evaluated in a gelatin phantom. The needle can be steered to targets at different locations while starting from the same initial position and orientation under MRI guidance with generally available sequences. The steerable needle offers flexibility to the physician in control and choice of the needle path when navigating the needle toward the target position, which allows for optimization of individual treatment and may increase target accuracy.