VascularPilot3D: Toward a 3D fully autonomous navigation for endovascular robotics

Abstract

This research reports VascularPilot3D, the first 3D fully autonomous endovascular robot navigation system. As an exploration toward autonomous guidewire navigation, VascularPilot3D is developed as a complete navigation system based on intra-operative imaging systems (fluoroscopic X-ray in this study) and typical endovascular robots. VascularPilot3D adopts previously researched fast 3D-2D vessel registration algorithms and guidewire segmentation methods as its perception modules. We additionally propose three modules: a topology-constrained 2D-3D instrument end-point lifting method, a tree-based fast path planning algorithm, and a prior-free endovascular navigation strategy. VascularPilot3D is compatible with most mainstream endovascular robots. Ex-vivo experiments validate that VascularPilot3D achieves 100% success rate among 25 trials. It reduces the human surgeon's overall control loops by 18.38%. VascularPilot3D is promising for general clinical autonomous endovascular navigations.