ABSTRACT
Robotic assistance in brachytherapy is attractive for several reasons. The main advantages are increased accuracy in needle/applicator placement and seed/source positioning, reduced human variability, and possible reduction of operation time. After initializing the robot, the patient information should be entered into the computer by the authorized user. Then the transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images are acquired and used in delineating the appropriate anatomical structures, such as prostate boundary, urethra, pubic bone, rectum, and seminal vesicles. Then, three-dimensional (3D) models of the prostate and adjacent required structures are generated automatically. In the current generation of brachytherapy robots, two main types of interactions are implemented: autonomous robots execute subtasks under human supervision in an autonomous way, semi-autonomous robots position a needle guide which is used by the clinician to manually insert a needle and delivery of the seeds. Radioactive seeds need to be handled with extreme care. The seeds are to be put in a protective seed cartridge to reduce radiation exposure.
