Robot-assisted Image Guidance for Prostate Nerve-sparing Surgery

Abstract

During radical prostatectomy, the cavernous nerve surrounding the prostate may be damaged. The patients, at a high rate, suffer from post prostate surgery complications. Therefore, a technique is needed to help the surgeon to preserve the nerve network during the surgery. Photoacoustic imaging accompanied with contrast agents have shown a promising potential to visualize the nerve network. In this paper, a novel robot-assisted photoacoustic imaging was developed to intra-operatively visualize the nerve network. The platform is capable of providing real-time images which is vital for the intra-operative use. The system was evaluated using an ex-vivo study.