Abstract—Needle insertion for minimally invasive surgery is a technique explored and studied for percutaneous procedure, diagnosis, localized therapeutic drug delivery, and Biopsy. While the instruments and techniques determine the success of every surgical procedure, minimal attention was given to the medium, the interaction between the tissue and the needle, the development tools and surgical techniques. This paper addresses the interaction by studying the needle deflection during the insertion into porcine back tissue and simulated flesh-like tissue. A customized testing setup is developed to measure and quantify these interactions. The needle deflection magnitude and its insertion characteristics were measured and correlated to define the bio-mechanical properties of back abdomen tissue upon insertion. Needle deflections were measured for gelatine analogues developed to model the consistency of the tissues in the lumbar region of the back. This study was the first step in developing a deflection feedback controlled surgical instrument which enable the needle to reach its intended target in the percutaneous operation. The experimental setup and test procedure provides an understanding on the mechanics of needle insertion, potentially aid the design improvement on surgical instrument.

Index Terms—Needle insertion, needle deflection, porcine tissue and gelatine.

K. W. Ng, J. Q. Goh, S. L. Foo, P. H. Ting, and T. K. Lee are with the Institute of Technical Education, SG Singapore (e-mail: ng_ka_wei@ite.edu.sg, alan_j_q_goh@ite.edu.sg, Foo_Soo_Leong@ite.edu.sg, Ting_Poh_Hua@ite.edu.sg and Lee_Teck_Kheng@ite.edu.sg).
E. Kesavan, Q. Wu, and E. Chiong are with National University Hospital Singapore, SG Singapore (e-mail: kesavan_esuvaranathan@nuhs.edu.sg, qing_hui_wu@nuhs.edu.sg, edmund_chiong@nuhs.edu.sg).

 

Cite:Ka Wei Ng, Jin Quan Goh, Soo Leong Foo, Poh Hua Ting, Teck Kheng Lee, Kesavan Esuvaranathan, Qing Hui Wu, and Edmund Chiong, "Needle Deflection Studies for Optimal Insertion Modeling," International Journal of Bioscience, Biochemistry and Bioinformatics vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 570-574, 2013.