Bimodality ultrasound/optical imaging: Registration and 2D/3D visualization

Early detection of prostate cancer often requires several biopsies which are harsh for the patient and could lead to major complications. In order to reduce the number of biopsies, we have recently developed a bimodal endorectal probe, which is the object of this article. The combination of both fluorescence diffuse optical tomography (FDOT) and ultrasound (US) imaging allows a more accurate and straight forward guidance of the biopsy needle to the prostate tumor. However, the data received from each modality are quite different 2D image for US and 3D surface for optics. Thus, a registration is required to guarantee a consistent visualization for the physician. Many experiments both ex vivo and in vivo have been carried out to validate the registration and, to a further extend, the method. We finally discuss the pertinence of the results and the perspectives of the project.