M3DiCam – Real-time Intraoperative Gamma Imaging
M3DiCam develops a miniaturized 3D gamma camera for robot-assisted surgery, enabling real-time radiotracer navigation and 3D reconstruction directly at the surgical site
Funding line: Eurostars Project No. 7674 · 2025–2028
The Problem
In radio-guided surgery, surgeons today rely on hand-held gamma probes that produce a single
scalar intensity signal. The surgeon must mentally translate this 1D reading into a 3D decision.
Conventional external gamma cameras (SPECT) provide 3D information, but require large room-sized
scanners incompatible with an open surgical field.
Technology
- Collimator-free 3D Gamma Imaging: Compton camera architecture reduces detector footprint under 15 mm.
- Robot Kinematics as Imaging Asset: Controlled robot motion generates the parallax data for 3D reconstruction.
- Intrinsic Depth Sensing: Exploits Kalpha/Kbeta X-ray fluorescence ratios for depth measurement without external reference.
- Patents: 2 European, 1 German patent applications (Inhaber: UKF / Advacam).
Clinical Applications & Partners
- Intraoperative Navigation: In collaboration with Klinik für Nuklearmedizin, UKF Freiburg.
- Consortium: UKF Freiburg, Advacam s.r.o. (Prag), XIE GmbH (Freiburg), B. Braun New Ventures.
- Long term vision: Radiation Therapy Monitoring: Closed-loop beam feedback monitoring during particle therapy.
M3DiCam compared to conventional modalities. Left: a standard optical endoscope provides surface imaging with no gamma sensitivity. Center: external SPECT provides 3D gamma information but is incompatible with real-time surgical navigation. Right (highlighted): M3DiCam enables real-time 3D gamma reconstruction directly at the surgical site via a miniaturized, collimator-free endoscope camera. The MiniPix detector (top right, 65,000 pixels) forms the core.
Dr. Martin Peter Pichotka
Scientific Lead of the Spectral CT Research Group
Tel.: +49 761 270-39220
E-Mail: martin.pichotka@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Medical Center – University of Freiburg
Dept. of Radiology · Medical Physics
Killianstr. 5a
79106 Freiburg