Learning Needle Placement in Soft Tissue With Robot-assisted Navigation.

Background/aim: The aim of this phantom study was to evaluate the learning curves of novices practicing how to place a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)-guided needle using a novel robotic assistance system (RAS).

Materials And Methods: Ten participants performed 18 punctures each with random trajectories in a phantom setting, supported by a RAS over 3 days. Precision, duration of the total intervention, duration of the needle placement, autonomy, and confidence of the participants were measured, displaying possible learning curves.