# OpenIGTLink: a network communication interface for closed-loop image-guided interventions

> **NIH NIH R01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2021 · $701,392

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
In this cycle of the project, we will extend OpenIGTLink software to enable individualized precision guidance,
where patient-specific characteristics are taken into account in the planning and control process for image-
guided robotic interventions (IGRI) to achieve a better clinical outcome. In particular, we will focus on improving
needle placement accuracy for IGRI of the prostate, as a simple, and yet a representative application of
individualized precision guidance. Percutaneous needle placement plays a fundamental role in both the
diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Nearly one million prostate biopsies are performed annually in the
United States, where tissues are sampled from the prostate with a biopsy needle for pathological examination.
The confirmed lesions may then be focally treated with brachytherapy or thermal ablation using applicator
needles depending on clinical indications and patient preference. For those procedures, accurate needle
placement is essential to avoid false-negatives or ensure an optimal dose distribution. The demand for
accurate needle placement is growing in recent years, as clinicians are now capable of pinpointing subregions
in a heterogeneous tumor thanks to the recent progress in imaging technologies, particularly multiparametric
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the in vivo accuracies achieved by previous studies have never
matched the level of tumor subregion targeting due to needle deviation as a result of physical interaction
between the needle and the heterogeneous tissue. To address this issue, we will incorporate needle deviation
models in an IGRI system using OpenIGTLink software. Our hypothesis is that the models adapted to
individual patients will enable avoidance or compensation of needle deviation, leading to an improved in vivo
needle placement accuracy. The project comprises the following four specific aims: (Aim 1) Develop a
biomechanical model with image-based semi-automatic model generation; (Aim 2) Develop a data-driven
prediction model and hybridize with the biomechanical model; (Aim 3) Extend the IGRI platform for model-
based closed-loop control using OpenIGTLink; (Aim 4) Evaluate biomechanical, data-driven, and hybrid
models in vivo needle placement.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10211359
- **Project number:** 2R01EB020667-04A1
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark Fuge
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $701,392
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2015-07-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10211359

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10211359, OpenIGTLink: a network communication interface for closed-loop image-guided interventions (2R01EB020667-04A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10211359. Licensed CC0.

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