Tracking accuracy evaluation of electromagnetic sensor-based colonoscope tracking method

TL;DR

This paper provides a detailed evaluation of an electromagnetic sensor-based colonoscope tracking method, analyzing its accuracy across multiple points on a colon phantom to assess its reliability for navigation.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive measurement approach for colonoscope tracking accuracy, expanding error analysis from six to fifty-two points on a colon phantom.

Findings

Tracking errors are small in ascending and descending colons.

Large errors occur in transverse and descending colons due to deformations.

Detailed error visualization aids in understanding tracking reliability.

Abstract

This paper reports a detailed evaluation results of a colonoscope tracking method. A colonoscope tracking method utilizing electromagnetic sensors and a CT volume has been proposed. Tracking accuracy of this method was evaluated by using a colon phantom. In the previously proposed paper, tracking errors were measured only at six points on the colon phantom for the accuracy evaluation. The point number is not enough to evaluate relationships between the tracking errors and positions in the colon. In this paper, we evaluated the colonoscope tracking method based on more detailed measurement results of the tracking errors. We measured tracking errors at 52 points on the colon phantom and visualized magnitudes of the tracking errors. From our experiments, tracking errors in the ascending and descending colons were enough small to perform colonoscope navigations. However, tracking errors in the transverse and descending colons were large due to colon deformations.