An application of SlicerROS2: Haptic latency evaluation for virtual fixture guidance in breast conserving surgery

Abstract

Breast conserving surgery (BCS) is a surgical intervention for breast cancer where the surgeon resects the primary tumor and preserves the surrounding healthy tissue. These procedures have a high failure rate because it is often difficult to localize breast tumor boundaries intraoperatively. Emerging surgical robotic technology demonstrates promise for addressing such challenges. Hand-over-hand control is a design concept that involves cooperative handling of a surgical instrument by the surgeon and a robot. These systems can be used to reduce hand-tremor, improve dexterity, and implement virtual guidance [1]. One way to do this is with a virtual fixture (VF) which is a computer-generated constraint that is communicated from robotic devices to human operators via force and position signals [2]. A forbidden region VF can be used to enforce a safety region or “no-go zone” that can prevent the operator from damaging delicate or critical anatomy. In this paper, we use an Omni Bundle robot (formerly known as a Phantom Omni) to introduce haptic feedback in BCS. In doing so, we demonstrate a new and simplified approach to implementing a VF using open-source software tools such as 3D Slicer and robot operating system (ROS). We also make use of an existing surgical navigation platform that is used for BCS and describe how to deploy this system to encourage adaptation to other clinical applications.