Optimal Path Planning, Implementation And Simulation For A Breast Biopsy System

Core needle biopsy is a non-invasive method of confirming the presence of cancer cells in the breast. Image guided breast biopsy is a procedure performed to extract suspicious tissue and test it under the microscope for cancer. Common imaging modalities used are X-ray, MRI and Ultrasound. X-rays and MRI involve ionizing radiation which is harmful when a patient is suspected to have cancer. Apart from this, patients go through much discomfort during biopsy. Sometimes, multiple incisions are required to extract the desired tissue which prolongs the discomfort.This thesis describes a breast biopsy system using Ultrasound images. The main aim of this system is to improve the accuracy of biopsy and also provide patients with maximum comfort. As a specific and original part of this thesis, a recently published 3D path planning algorithm, which is an important part of our overall system, is modified to fit our problem and simulated.The path planning has been simulated for different scenarios like global minimum path, path parallel to the chest wall (rib cage), and also a path where the doctor can specify the entry region that he prefers. Results for simulation have been provided as screenshots along with a 3D projection to help view the path.