Track-Guided Ultrasound Scanning for Tumour Margins Outlining in Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy

Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy (RAPN) is a medical procedure in which part of a kidney is removed, typically because of the presence of a tumour. RAPN is the second most diffused robotically assisted surgical procedure worldwide after prostatectomy [1]. The advantages of this robot-assisted procedure are detailed in [2], and in [3] it is argued that RAPN can be used in place of open surgery or total nephrectomy in some complex renal tumour cases. The RAPN procedure is thoroughly described in [4]. Methods used for the identification of the tumour include pre-operative Computer Tomography (CT) scans, Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging and intraoperative Ultrasound (US) scans. The use of drop-in US probes for RAPN procedures is widely recognized as the golden standard for the intraoperative detection and margins outlining of the mass targeted. In [5] the authors show that the use of US dropin probes guided by robotic laparoscopic tools rather than standard laparoscopic tool is beneficial for the surgeon as it significantly increases the dexterity, hence, the field of view of the system.