The Click-On gamma probe, a second-generation tethered robotic gamma probe that improves dexterity and surgical decision-making.

PURPOSE: Decision-making and dexterity, features that become increasingly relevant in (robot-assisted) minimally invasive surgery, are considered key components in improving the surgical accuracy. Recently, DROP-IN gamma probes were introduced to facilitate radioguided robotic surgery. We now studied if robotic DROP-IN radioguidance can be further improved using tethered Click-On designs that integrate gamma detection onto the robotic instruments themselves. METHODS: Using computer-assisted drawing software, 3D printing and precision machining, we created a Click-On probe containing two press-fit connections and an additional grasping moiety for a ProGrasp instrument combined with fiducials that could be video tracked using the Firefly laparoscope. Using a dexterity phantom, the duration of the specific tasks and the path traveled could be compared between use of the Click-On or DROP-IN probe. To study the impact on surgical decision-making, we performed a blinded study, in porcine models, wherein surgeons had to identify a hidden 57Co-source using either palpation or Click-On radioguidance. RESULTS: When assembled onto a ProGrasp instrument, while preserving grasping function and rotational freedom, the fully functional prototype could be inserted through a 12-mm trocar. In dexterity assessments, the Click-On provided a 40% reduction in movements compared to the DROP-IN, which converted into a reduction in time, path length, and increase in straightness index. Radioguidance also improved decision-making; task-completion rate increased by 60%, procedural time was reduced, and movements became more focused. CONCLUSION: The Click-On gamma probe provides a step toward full integration of radioguidance in minimal invasive surgery. The value of this concept was underlined by its impact on surgical dexterity and decision-making.

Click-on fluorescence detectors: using robotic surgical instruments to characterize molecular tissue aspects.

Fluorescence imaging is increasingly being implemented in surgery. One of the drawbacks of its application is the need to switch back-and-forth between fluorescence- and white-light-imaging settings and not being able to dissect safely under fluorescence guidance. The aim of this study was to engineer 'click-on' fluorescence detectors that transform standard robotic instruments into molecular sensing devices that enable the surgeon to detect near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence in a white-light setting. This NIR-fluorescence detector setup was engineered to be press-fitted onto standard forceps instruments of the da Vinci robot. Following system characterization in a phantom setting (i.e., spectral properties, sensitivity and tissue signal attenuation), the performance with regard to different clinical indocyanine green (ICG) indications (e.g., angiography and lymphatic mapping) was determined via robotic surgery in pigs. To evaluate in-human applicability, the setup was also used for ICG-containing lymph node specimens from robotic prostate cancer surgery. The resulting Click-On device allowed for NIR ICG signal identification down to a concentration of 4.77 × 10-6 mg/ml. The fully assembled system could be introduced through the trocar and grasping, and movement abilities of the instrument were preserved. During surgery, the system allowed for the identification of blood vessels and assessment of vascularization (i.e., bowel, bladder and kidney), as well as localization of pelvic lymph nodes. During human specimen evaluation, it was able to distinguish sentinel from non-sentinel lymph nodes. With this introduction of a NIR-fluorescence Click-On sensing detector, a next step is made towards using surgical instruments in the characterization of molecular tissue aspects.

Optical Navigation of the Drop-In γ-Probe as a Means to Strengthen the Connection Between Robot-Assisted and Radioguided Surgery.

With translation of the Drop-In γ-probe, radioguidance has advanced into laparoscopic robot-assisted surgery. Global-positioning-system-like navigation can further enhance the symbiosis between nuclear medicine and surgery. Therefore, we developed a fluorescence-video-based tracking method that integrates the Drop-In with navigated robotic surgery. Methods: Fluorescent markers, integrated into the Drop-In, were automatically detected using a daVinci Firefly laparoscope. Subsequently, a declipseSPECT-navigation platform calculated the Drop-In location within the surgical field. Using a phantom (n = 3), we pursued robotic navigation on SPECT/CT, whereas intraoperative feasibility was validated during porcine surgery (n = 4). Results: Video-based tracking allowed for navigation of the Drop-In toward all lesions detected on SPECT/CT (external iliac and common iliac artery regions). Augmented-reality visualization in the surgical console indicated the distance to these lesions in real time, confirmed by the Drop-In readout. Porcine surgery underlined the feasibility of the concept. Conclusion: Optical navigation of the Drop-In probe provides a next step toward connecting nuclear medicine with robotic surgery.

MAVIS: an integrated system for live microscopy and vitrification.

Cryo-electron microscopy of vitrified biological samples can provide three-dimensional reconstructions of macromolecules and organelles within bacteria and cells at nanometer scale resolution, even in native conditions. Localization of specific structures and imaging of cellular dynamics in cellular cryo-electron microscopy is limited by (i) the use of cryo-fixation to preserve cellular structures, (ii) the restricted availability of electron dense markers to label molecules inside cells and (iii) the inherent low contrast of cryo electron microscopy. These limitations can be mitigated to a large extend by correlative light and electron microscopy, where the sample is imaged by both light and electron microscopy. Here we present a Microscopy and Vitrification Integrated System (MAVIS) that combines a light microscope with a plunger to vitrify thin specimens. MAVIS provides the capability for fluorescence light microscopic imaging of living cells and bacteria that are adhered to an electron microscopy grid and subsequent vitrification within a time frame of seconds. The instrument allows targeting of dynamic biological events in time and space by fluorescence microscopy for subsequent cryo light and electron microscopy. Here we describe the design and performance of the MAVIS, illustrated with biological examples.