No abstract

Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) provides high-resolution in vivo imaging for intraoperative tissue characterization. Maintaining a desired contact force between target tissue and the pCLE probe is important for image consistency, allowing large area surveillance to be performed. A hand-held instrument that can provide a predetermined contact force to obtain consistent images has been developed. The main components of the instrument include a linear voice coil actuator, a donut load-cell, and a pCLE probe. In this paper, detailed mechanical design of the instrument is presented and system level modeling of closed-loop force control of the actuator is provided. The performance of the instrument has been evaluated in bench tests as well as in hand-held experiments. Results demonstrate that the instrument ensures a consistent predetermined contact force between pCLE probe tip and tissue. Furthermore, it compensates for both simulated physiological movement of the tissue and involuntary movements of the operator's hand. Using pCLE video feature tracking of large colonic crypts within the mucosal surface, the steadiness of the tissue images obtained using the instrument force control is demonstrated by confirming minimal crypt translation.

This paper introduces a stereoscopic fibroscope imaging system for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) and examines the feasibility of utilizing images transmitted from the distal fibroscope tip to a proximally mounted CCD camera to recover both camera motion and 3D scene information. Fibre image guides facilitate instrument miniaturization and have the advantage of being more easily integrated with articulated robotic instruments. In this paper, twin 10,000 pixel coherent fibre bundles (590µm diameter) have been integrated into a bespoke laparoscopic imaging instrument. Images captured by the system have been used to build a 3D map of the environment and reconstruct the laparoscope's 3D pose and motion using a SLAM algorithm. Detailed phantom validation of the system demonstrates its practical value and potential for flexible MIS instrument integration due to the small footprint and flexible nature of the fibre image guides.

This paper describes a multitasking robotic platform for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS). The device is designed to be introduced through a standard trocar port. Once the device is inserted to the desired surgical site, it can be reconfigured by lifting an articulated section, and protruding two tendon driven flexible arms. Each of the arms holds an interchangeable surgical instrument. The articulated section features a 2 Degrees-of-Freedom (DoF) universal joint followed by a single DoF yaw joint. It incorporates an on-board camera and LED light source at the distal end, leaving a Ø3mm channel for an additional instrument. The main shaft of the robot is largely hollow, leaving ample space for the insertion of two tendon driven flexible arms integrated with surgical instruments. The ex-vivo and in-vivo experiments demonstrate the potential clinical value of the device for performing surgical tasks through single incision or natural orifice transluminal procedures.

This paper proposes a novel approach for the identification of tissue properties in-vivo using a force sensitive wheeled probe. The purpose of such a device is to compensate a surgeon for a portion of the loss of haptic and tactile feedback experienced during robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. Initially, a testing facility for validating the concept exvivo was developed and used to characterize two different testing modalities -static (1-DOF) tissue indentation and rolling (2-DOF) tissue indentation. As part of the static indentation experiments a mathematical model was developed to classify tissue condition based on changes in mechanical response. The purpose of the rolling indentation tests was to detect tissue abnormalities, such as tumors, which are difficult to isolate under static testing conditions. During such tests, the test-rig was capable of detecting simulated miniature buried masses at depths of 12mm. Based on these experiments a portable device capable of carrying out similar tests in-vivo was developed. The device was designed to be operated through a trocar port and its key feature is the ability to transition between static indentation and rolling indentation modalities without retracting and changing the tool.