Measuring Respiratory Motion for Supporting the Minimally Invasive Destruction of Liver Tumors

Abstract

Objective: Destroying liver tumors is a challenge for contemporary interventional radiology. The aim of this work is to compare different techniques used for the measurement of respiratory motion, as this is the main hurdle to the effective implementation of this therapy. Methods: Laparoscopic stereoscopic reconstruction of point displacements on the surface of the liver, observation of breathing using external markers placed on the surface of the abdominal cavity, and methods for registration of the surface of the abdominal cavity during breathing were implemented and evaluated. Results: The following accuracies were obtained: above 4 mm and 0.5 mm, and below 8 mm for laparoscopic, skin markers, and skin surface registration methods, respectively. Conclusions: The clinical techniques and accompanying imaging modalities employed to destroy liver tumors, as well as the advantages and limitations of the proposed methods, are presented. Further directions for their development are also indicated.