Abstract
Needle angulation is often desired in needle-based procedures for precise targeting inside tissue and/or to avoid obstacles. It has been shown that needle-based procedures such as prostate brachytherapy could benefit from angular needle insertion, e.g., reaching targets that are not accessible via a straight shot or to bypass pubic arch interface. Recent research has also shown that angular needle insertions as well as needle bending could improve catheter implantation in high-dose-rate brachytherapy conformal to the prostate boundaries, and consequently improve the outcome of the procedure via improved dosimetric constraints. This work presents a novel needle guide template to facilitate needle’s initial angulation prior to puncture. The needle guide is designed with two parallel templates featuring similar grid patterns. The distance between the templates is adjustable, and the template proximal to the patient can rotate to achieve a desired needle angulation. The needle guide is primarily tested, and the access region is estimated.
