Needle Shape Visualization, Tracking and Steering Control for Permanent Prostate Brachytherapy Applications

• Author / Creator

  Waine, Michael

• Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancers in North American males, afflicting one in eight men over the course of their lifetime. Fortunately, early-stage prostate cancer has a wide variety of treatment options. One such option, permanent prostate brachytherapy, has been proven to have excellent survival rates for low to intermediate risk patients. However, the procedure has a steep learning curve and requires a long training period for new surgeons. Brachytherapy surgeons are also mostly located in urban areas. These factors can significantly limit patient access to procedure. This thesis presents techniques designed to aid surgeons performing permanent prostate brachytherapy. Through the use of 2D ultrasound, we present techniques for needle shape reconstruction, tracking, trajectory prediction, and steering with the goal of improving the quality of information presented to prostate brachytherapy surgeons and helping them to perform the procedure with greater accuracy, consistency, and efficiency.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Controls
  • Needle
  • Tracking
  • Visualization
  • Prostate
  • Insertion
  • Predictions
  • Steering

• Graduation date

  Fall 2016

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3KP7V584

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.