Ultrasound Guided Needle Puncture (2003-2008) | Professor Nigel W. John

Professor Nigel W. John FEG FLSW

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Ultrasound Guided Needle Puncture (2003-2008)



This project developed an integrated visual-haptic system for the simulation of Ultrasound guided needle puncture using patient specific data with 3D textures and volume haptics. The result was a cost effective training tool, using off-the-shelf components (visual displays, haptic devices and standard spec. PC), that delivers a high fidelity training experience.

Particular contributions (Vidal, John, Healey, & Gould, 2008) included: extending the proxy-based haptic rendering method to use volumetric data so that the trainee can feel underlying structures, such as ribs and bones, whilst scanning the surface of the body with a virtual US transducer; a volume haptic model that can be modulated by using actual force measurements; a method of approximating US-like images from CT data sets; and physically-based simulation of x-ray images using GPU programming and 3D texture hardware.

Vidal, F. P. (2008). Simulation of image guided needle puncture: contribution to real-time ultrasound and fluoroscopic rendering, and volume haptic rendering. PhD Thesis, Bangor University. This project was undertaken by my PhD student Franck Vidal. It was the basis for the successful grant application that subsequently led to the ImaGINe-S project.

Franck is now a lecturer at Bangor University.

Further Reading

  1. Vidal, F. P., John, N. W., Healey, A. E., & Gould, D. A. (2008). Simulation of ultrasound guided needle puncture using patient specific data with 3D textures and volume haptics. Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds, 19(2), 111–127.