A Mechatronic Platform for Computer Aided Detection of Nodules in Anatomopathological Analyses via Stiffness and Ultrasound Measurements

Abstract

This study presents a platform for ex-vivo detection of cancer nodules, addressing 24 automation of medical diagnoses in surgery and associated histological analyses. The proposed 25 approach takes advantage of the property of cancer to alter the mechanical and acoustical properties 26 of tissues, because of changes in stiffness and density. A force sensor and an ultrasound probe were 27 combined to detect such alterations during force-regulated indentations. To explore the specimens, 28 regardless of their orientation and shape, a scanned area of the test sample was defined using shape 29 recognition applying optical background subtraction to the images captured by a camera. The 30 motorized platform was validated using seven phantom tissues, simulating the mechanical and 31 acoustical properties of ex-vivo diseased tissues, including stiffer nodules that can be encountered 32 in pathological conditions during histological analyses. Results demonstrated the platform's ability 33 to automatically explore and identify the inclusions in the phantom. Overall, the system was able to 34 correctly identify up to 90.3% of the inclusions by means of stiffness in combination with ultrasound 35 measurements, paving pathway towards robotic palpation during intraoperative examinations.36

Smart Sensors for Healthcare and Medical Applications

“…A mechatronic platform for detection of cancer nodules has been proposed in [ 27 ]. The system uses multi-sensors data providing mechanical stiffness and Ultrasound impedance of the tissue under exam.…”