Existing path planning methods either follow vascular centerlines or generate curvature-bounded paths but may fail due to curvature or computational time limitations.
Proposed two-phase path planning approach combines global centerline-based planning with local curvature optimization to ensure feasible and fast catheter navigation.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Use imaging modalities to extract vascular centerlines and vessel radii for path planning.
Management
Employ steerable catheters with known bending capabilities for percutaneous interventions.
Apply two-phase path planning combining global tentative path generation and local curvature optimization to respect catheter bending constraints.
Monitoring & Follow-up
Monitor catheter tip position and vascular deformation intra-operatively to enable timely path replanning.
Consider frequencies of tracking systems, imaging feedback, and controllers to set replanning intervals.
Risks
Failure to consider catheter curvature limits may lead to navigation failure at vascular bifurcations or sharp turns.
High computational time in path planning can impede real-time adaptation to vascular deformation.
Patient & Prescribing Data
Patients undergoing catheter-based endovascular interventions with complex vascular anatomy
Optimized path planning respecting catheter curvature constraints improves navigation success and may reduce procedural time and complications.
Clinical Best Practices
Extract vascular centerlines and vessel radii using validated imaging and computational tools (e.g., VMTK).
Use a global planner to generate a tentative path along vascular centerlines from insertion to target site.
Apply local optimization to adjust path segments ensuring catheter curvature constraints are met.
Incorporate real-time feedback from tracking and imaging systems to enable path replanning during the procedure.
Set replanning frequency according to the slowest system component (e.g., imaging reconstruction at ~1.25Hz).
