Planning and performing image-assisted robotic interventions using personalized, minimally invasive, safe, and precise therapeutics

This review aims to analyze complex medical interventions planned and performed using image-guided robots. Such interventions, which may involve surgical or targeted drug delivery, are minimally invasive, precise, and safe therapies. The accuracy of robotic positioning is improved by reducing uncertainty and complexity, which can be achieved by matching real and virtual interventional procedures involving physical and virtual phantoms of the relevant part of the corresponding living tissues. Such tailored training includes personalized, patient, and interventional tool characteristics, and the results enable a real (with patient) intervention controlled by staff and a possible matched autonomous intervention under staff supervision. This paper discusses considerations for selecting appropriate scanners to control and monitor image-guided interventional procedures, planning personalized medical interventions using physical and virtual phantoms, involving staff in the loop, and employing augmented matched digital twins (DTs) for real interventions. Moreover, the paper positions the image-assisted robotic strategy in comparison to laparoscopic surgery. Each topic covered in this article, while self-contained, is supported by examples from the literature to facilitate a deeper understanding. The outcomes of this review highlight the importance of complex medical interventions involving image-assisted robotics or laparoscopic processes involving minimally invasive, nonionizing, and precise interventions. Furthermore, DTs already integrated into healthcare, combined with digital tools, could offer an effective solution for managing image-assisted robotics. This includes planning interventions with phantoms or patients and involving staff in the loop.