Computer Vision News - August 2022

44 Innovation Prize at Hamlyn 2022 Intratympanic steroid injections are commonly performed by ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons to treat sensorineural hearing loss, a problem becoming increasingly prevalent in the aging population. The procedure involves inserting a needle through the tympanic membrane (the eardrum) to deposit a steroid gel in the middle ear cavity. Lukas proposes a soft robot that helps guide the needle to the desired target on the eardrum to avoid delicate anatomies while reducing needle motion by the surgeon. “ Generally, this procedure is perceived as painful by patients despite local anesthesia, and one of the reasons for that could be the mechanical movement of the needle by the surgeon, ” he tells us. “ Through a robotic solution that guides the needle to the target, we can suppress this tremor in the hand of the surgeon and make the procedure more comfortable for the patient. ” The essential anatomy parts to be avoided are primarily the auditory ossicles or middle ear bones . In the worst-case scenario, if these are harmed, it can lead to permanent hearing loss. Ultimately, the hope is to de-risk the procedure by Lukas Lindenroth is a senior postdoctoral research fellow in the Surgical Robot Vision Group at UCL WEISS. He speaks to us about his work developing a soft robotic solution for ear interventions, which has just won the Best Innovation prize as part of the Surgical Robot Challenge at the Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics 2022. TOWARDS SOFT ROBOT - ASSISTED NEEDLE INSERTION IN INTRATYMPANIC STEROID INJECTIONS