Robotics in vascular sonography—Current status and future perspectives

Background: Vascular sonography is a central imaging modality in vascular medicine and plays a key role in the diagnostics; however, its application is highly dependent on manual probe handling and the examiner’s experience, which limits standardization and integration into complex clinical workflows. Against this background, robot-assisted ultrasound examination systems have increasingly become a focus of research and clinical development. Objective: Presentation of the current technological and clinical state of robotics in vascular sonography and description of future perspectives for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in vascular medicine. Material and methods: A narrative analysis of experimental and clinical studies on robot-assisted vascular ultrasound was performed. In addition, the authors’ RoGUS-PAD project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) is presented. Results: In experimental models the technical feasibility of robot-assisted ultrasound systems for reproducible vascular imaging and support of endovascular interventions could be demonstrated. Doppler-based tracking enabled stable vessel localization and automated imaging of extended vascular segments in healthy volunteers. These findings highlight the potential of robotic systems beyond purely diagnostic applications. Conclusion: Robot-assisted ultrasound systems address key limitations of conventional vascular sonography and open up perspectives for improved standardization, ergonomic relief and expanded clinical applications. In the future, they could facilitate the integration of ultrasound into interventional workflows; however, prospective clinical studies are required to validate the patient-centered benefits.

Duke Scholars

Author Maggie Elizabeth Horn Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Therapy