Design and Validation of a Master-slave Continuum Robot for Maxillary Sinus Surgery

Continuum robots (CRs) have been developed for maxillary sinus surgery (MSS) in recent years. However, due to the curved and narrow pathway of the maxillary sinus, and the deformability of the CR, accurately approaching the target in the sinus is still a challenge. In this paper, a CR integrated with essential instruments and sensors is developed for the MSS. To improve the maneuverability of the CR during the surgery, a master-slave motion control algorithm is proposed based on the kinematic model. Two types of commonly used master devices, joystick and sidestick, are compared in the MSS. Comparative experiments are performed to verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme.

I. Introduction

The paranasal sinuses facilitate the function of the nasal space in the warming and humidification of air and contribute to the body’s defences against microbial ingress [1]. The maxillary sinus is the largest paranasal sinus, and it has a communication with the nasal cavity via an ostium, as shown in Fig. 1(a). Some common diseases arising within it include nasal polyps, nasal sinus cyst, and maxillary sinusitis. Due to the curved and narrow pathway and limited accessibility of the maxillary sinus, surgical interventions in the maxillary sinus are still challenging. The conventional instrumentations [2], [3] for endoscopic MSS, shown in Fig. 1(b), are rigid angled forceps, and nasal endoscopes with fixed angles. In this case, it is hard for surgeons to manipulate the rigid forcep and endoscope simultaneously. Moreover, the rigid instruments are difficult to reach the target lesions in the maxillary sinus.