View source for 2008 5 2 Hata Talk U Michigan

=Title=
Role of Image Processing, Navigation and Robots in MRI-guided Intervention
=Speaker=
Nobuhiko Hata, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Technical Director, Image Guided Therapy Program

Director, Surgical Navigation and Robotics Laboratory

Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital

hata@bwh.harvard.edu

www.snrlab.org

=Abstract=
This work describes an integrated system for planning and performing surgical procedures with robotic assistance under Magnetic Resonance Imaging-guidance. Based on anatomical structures and lesions observed in the patient's MR images, the physician interacts with a planning interface to specify the set of desired needle trajectories. As it is manually inserted through the guide using visualization from real-time imaging, the needle can be directly controlled. With its ability to aid the guidance of a needle, free open-source software, 3D Slicer, is, therefore, an indispensable tool for the clinical application of a robot within a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration. This work also introduces an advanced form of image-guided robotic surgery where imaging is used not only as an observation tool, but also as a feedback sensor in robot control. In the MR scanner, using MR imaging, the robot is servo controlled by navigator echo-based motion tracking and synchronized to the motion of moving organs. This new method, and its supporting technology, will impact a variety of image-guided therapies such as focused ultrasound therapy of moving organs and device tracking with dynamic MRI in cardiac interventions. Lastly, I present our long-term clinical goal at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital to perform therapies in high-field closed-bore MRI scanners where, through MRI visualization and control, a miniature capsule endoscope can perform both diagnosis and treatment.

=Speaker's Bio=
Nobuhiko Hata was born in Kobe, Japan. He received the B.E. degree in precision machinery engineering in 1993 from School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, and the M.E. and the Doctor of Engineering degrees in precision machinery engineering in 1995 and 1998 respectively, both from Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
	He is currently an Assistant Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School and Technical Director of Image Guided Therapy Program, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He started his career at Brigham and Women’s Hospital initially as a research fellow in 1995, then became Instructor of Radiology in 2000 and Assistant Professor of Radiology in 2005, all at Department of Radiology.  He also held an appointment in Japan as an Associate Professor of Information Science and Technology, at the University Tokyo between 2001 and 2005. 

His research focus has been on medical image processing and robotics in image-guided surgery.  His major achievements include neurosurgical navigation combined with ultrasound imaging, surgical robot for magnetic resonance imager, and motion-adaptable surgical robot for image-guided therapy.  More importantly, he developed key technology in many “the first” therapy in MRI-guided therapy; MR-guided  prostate biopsy, MR-guided laser ablation therapy of brain tumor, and MR-guided microwave ablation therapy of liver tumor. Those achievements in image guided therapy have been reported in his 38 papers. In recognition of his achievements in image guided therapy, he received Minister’s Award from the Japanese minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2005.

=Useful Links=
*[http://www.snrlab.org Dr. Hata's Laboratory page]
*[http://www.ncigt.org National Center for Image Guided Therapy]
*[http://www.slicer.org 3D Slicer]