Optical Fiber -Based Needle Shape Sensing: Three-channel Single Core vs. Multicore Approaches.

Abstract

Bevel-tip needles are commonly utilized in percutaneous medical interventions where a curved insertion trajectory is required. To avoid deviation from the intended trajectory, needle shape sensing and tip localization is crucial in providing the operator with feedback. There is an abundance of previous work that investigate the medical application of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, but most works select only one specific type of fiber among the many available sensor options to integrate into their hardware designs. In this work, we compare two different types of FBG sensors under identical conditions and application, namely, acting as the sensor for needle insertion shape reconstruction. We built a three-channel single core needle and a seven-channel multicore fiber (MCF) needle and discuss the pros and cons of both constructions for shape sensing experiments into constant curvature jigs. The overall needle tip error is 1.23 mm for the single core needle and 2.08 mm for the multicore needle.