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Article

Technical Validation of a Training Workstation for Magnet-Based Ultrasound Guidance of Fine-Needle Punctures

by
Christian Kühnel
1,
Martin Freesmeyer
1,*,
Falk Gühne
1,
Leonie Schreiber
1,
Steffen Schrott
1,
Reno Popp
2 and
Philipp Seifert
1
1
Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, Jena University Hospital, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany
2
eZono AG, 07743 Jena, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sensors 2025, 25(13), 4102; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134102
Submission received: 8 May 2025 / Revised: 16 June 2025 / Accepted: 27 June 2025 / Published: 30 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultrasonic Imaging and Sensors II)

Abstract

It has been demonstrated that needle guidance systems can enhance the precision and safety of ultrasound-guided punctures in human medicine. Systems that permit the utilization of commercially available standard needles, instead of those that necessitate the acquisition of costly, proprietary needles, are of particular interest. The objective of this phantom study is to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of magnet-based ultrasound needle guidance systems, which superimpose the position of the needle tip and a predictive trajectory line on the live ultrasound image. We conducted fine-needle aspiration cytology of thyroid nodules. The needles utilized in these procedures are of a slender gauge (21–27G), with lengths ranging from 40 to 80 mm. A dedicated training workstation with integrated software-based analyses of the movement of the needle tip was utilized in 240 standardized phantom punctures (angle: 45°; target depth: 20 mm). No system failures occurred, and the target achieved its aim in all cases. The analysis of the software revealed stable procedural parameters with minor relative deviations from the predefined reference values regarding the distance of needle tip movement (−4.2% to +6.7%), needle tilt (−6.4% to +9.6%), and penetration depth (−7.5% to +4.5%). These deviations appeared to increase with the use of thin needles and, to a lesser extent, long needles. They are attributed to the slight bending of the needle inside the (phantom) tissue. The training workstation we employed is thus suitable for use in educational settings. Nevertheless, in intricate clinical puncture scenarios—for instance, in the case of unfavorable localized small lesions near critical anatomical structures, particularly those involving thin needles—caution is advised, and the system should not be relied upon exclusively.
Keywords: training workstation; ultrasound guided; needle puncture; augmented reality training workstation; ultrasound guided; needle puncture; augmented reality

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Kühnel, C.; Freesmeyer, M.; Gühne, F.; Schreiber, L.; Schrott, S.; Popp, R.; Seifert, P. Technical Validation of a Training Workstation for Magnet-Based Ultrasound Guidance of Fine-Needle Punctures. Sensors 2025, 25, 4102. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134102

AMA Style

Kühnel C, Freesmeyer M, Gühne F, Schreiber L, Schrott S, Popp R, Seifert P. Technical Validation of a Training Workstation for Magnet-Based Ultrasound Guidance of Fine-Needle Punctures. Sensors. 2025; 25(13):4102. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134102

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kühnel, Christian, Martin Freesmeyer, Falk Gühne, Leonie Schreiber, Steffen Schrott, Reno Popp, and Philipp Seifert. 2025. "Technical Validation of a Training Workstation for Magnet-Based Ultrasound Guidance of Fine-Needle Punctures" Sensors 25, no. 13: 4102. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134102

APA Style

Kühnel, C., Freesmeyer, M., Gühne, F., Schreiber, L., Schrott, S., Popp, R., & Seifert, P. (2025). Technical Validation of a Training Workstation for Magnet-Based Ultrasound Guidance of Fine-Needle Punctures. Sensors, 25(13), 4102. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134102

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