A guidance method comprising: placing a tracking pad adjacent a body, the tracking pad including a guiding opening and a plurality of sensors, locating a distal end of a needle inside of the guiding opening at an insertion point adjacent the body, the needle including at least one beacon, operating the plurality of sensors with the at least one beacon to track an actual disposition of the needle, establishing a target disposition for the needle, moving the needle in a direction of movement to synchronize the actual disposition with the target disposition, and inserting the distal end of the needle into the body along an insertion axis.

A photoacoustic image generation apparatus includes: a puncture needle that generates photoacoustic waves; an ultrasound probe that detects the photoacoustic waves and reflected ultrasonic waves reflected by the transmission of ultrasonic waves; a processor that generates a color Doppler signal of a region of interest as a color Doppler measurement target, generates a photoacoustic image on the basis of the photoacoustic waves, and detects the position of a tip portion of the puncture needle on the basis of the photoacoustic image; and a controller that sets the region of interest such that the position of the tip portion of the puncture needle and a center position of the region of interest are separated from each other by a predetermined distance and sets the region of interest, following the movement of the tip portion of the puncture needle, in a state in which the distance is maintained.

Prostate biopsy systems are provided that include a 3D ultrasound probe support configured to receive an ultrasound probe for transperineal imaging. One or more template grids can have a plurality of apertures extending therethrough to receive and guide a biopsy needle along a trajectory associated with respective apertures when the template grid is fixed to the support and the biopsy system is positioned in the perineal area of a patient. Patient-specific template grids can also be developed and produced. This system enables fully transperineal prostate biopsy (i.e. both imaging and needle placement are perineal) and eliminates the need for an external racking device for image fusion as well as needle tracking. In addition, it reduces the infection risk associated to transrectal approach.

Even when an insertion object is inserted to a deep position of a subject or even when the insertion object is inserted into the subject at an angle close to a right angle, it is possible to confirm the position of the insertion object in a photoacoustic image. The insertion object is, for example, a hollow puncture needle 15 that includes an opening at a tip thereof. The puncture needle 15 includes a light guide member 152 that guides light emitted from a first light source to the vicinity of the opening, and a light emitting portion 153 that is provided in the vicinity of the opening and emits the light. First photoacoustic waves, which are caused by the light emitted from the light emitting portion 153, are generated in the puncture needle 15. A first photoacoustic image is generated on the basis of the first photoacoustic waves.

A medical device for injecting fat while simultaneously allowing the injection site to be viewed with ultrasound. The device may comprise a handle with a front portion and a rear portion, a cannula having a cannula tip, extending from the front portion of the handle, and an ultrasound probe attached to the handle, the ultrasound probe comprising an ultrasound head. The ultrasound head is aligned with and spaced apart from the cannula tip, and remains so aligned during the injection process so that the injection area may be continuously viewed during the procedure.

A minimally invasive system comprises an elongate medical instrument including a flexible body. The flexible body includes a wall including a channel, and the channel includes a groove. The flexible body further includes a lumen defined by an interior surface of the wall and a curved distal tip portion. The elongate medical instrument further includes a shape sensor coupled to the flexible body. The shape sensor is at least partially positioned within the groove, and the shape sensor is configured to detect shape characteristics of at least a portion of the flexible body. The system further includes an actuator for manipulating the elongate medical instrument.

A system with integrated tracking includes a procedure-specific hardware component (112 or 116) disposed at or near a region of interest. A field generator (114) is configured to generate a field with a field of view covering the region of interest. A mounting device (115) is connected to the field generator and is coupled to the procedure-specific hardware. The field generator is fixedly positioned by the mounting device to permit workflow access to the region of interest without interfering with the field generator and to provide a known position of the field generator relative to the region of interest. A tracking device (110) is configured to be inserted in or near the region of interest to be tracked within the field of view of the field generator to generate tracking data.

A transperineal biopsy guide including a guide member and a displacement member supported by the guide member. The guide member may be configured to operably couple with the transrectal probe and may include a distal end, a proximal end opposite the distal end, and a length extending along a longitudinal axis between the distal and proximal ends. The displacement member may be configured to support the access needle and displace the access needle along at least a portion of the length of the guide member between the distal and proximal ends. The access needle may extend into the subcutaneous tissue when the access needle is displaced to the distal end.

The present disclosure relates generally to positioning elongate members at a target site within a body lumen, such as for acquiring a biopsy from a peripheral airway. Some embodiments are particularly directed to an elongate member with an embedded transducer positioned at a predefined rotational angle with respect to a projected position of an instrument extended out of a distal opening of a first lumen in the elongate member. In many such embodiments, a rotational transducer may be positioned within a second lumen in the elongate member to generate a radial image including indicia of the embedded transducer. Accordingly, an operator may determine a projected position of the instrument prior to extending the instrument out of the lumen. In several embodiments, the embedded transducer may include a forward imaging transducer, such as a fiber optic.

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical devices and establishing access to the renal capsule. In particular, the present disclosure relates to devices and methods for performing a percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) procedure accurately and efficiently while minimizing exposure of the medical professional to harmful radiation.