Development and Prospects of Flexible Puncture Needle: A Review

Abstract Percutaneous puncture is a minimally invasive surgery for early cancer screening and treatment. The flexible puncture needle can bypass obstacles within human tissue and stab at the target point through a predetermined path, reducing the surgical risk and increasing the puncture needle's reachable range. This paper employs a method of summarization, induction, and deduction. Incorporating exemplary works and application needs, it discusses the flexible needle's development process and forecasts the future directions of development. This paper reviews the development of flexible needles from five aspects: needle–tissue interaction models, needle path planning and control, flexible needle sensing, novel needle designs, and robotic-assisted puncture equipment. It discusses outstanding theoretical models of flexible puncture needles, scientific working methods, and innovative design concepts. The advantages and disadvantages of flexible needle puncture related work are summarized. Propose the key problems and prospects for the future development of flexible needle puncture technology.