Ultrasound elastography: enabling technology for image guided laparoscopic prostatectomy

Abstract

Radical prostatectomy using the laparoscopic and robot-assisted approach lacks tactile feedback. Without palpation, the surgeon needs an affordable imaging technology which can be easily incorporated into the laparoscopic surgical procedure, allowing for precise real time intraoperative tumor localization that will guide the extent of surgical resection. Ultrasound elastography (USE) is a novel ultrasound imaging technology that can detect differences in tissue density or stiffness based on tissue deformation. USE was evaluated here as an enabling technology for image guided laparoscopic prostatectomy. USE using a 2D Dynamic Programming (DP) algorithm was applied on data from ex vivo human prostate specimens. It proved consistent in identification of lesions; hard and soft, malignant and benign, located in the prostate's central gland or in the peripheral zone. We noticed the 2D DP method was able to generate low-noise elastograms using two frames belonging to the same compression or relaxation part of the palpation excitation, even at compression rates up to 10%. Good preliminary results were validated by pathology findings, and also by in vivo and ex vivo MR imaging. We also evaluated the use of ultrasound elastography for imaging cavernous nerves; here we present data from animal model experiments.