Hollow Needle Puncture Mechanics for Biopsy Sampling
Abstract
Biopsy sampling relies on hollow needles that puncture soft tissues by propagating and opening a cylindrical crack, yet the mechanics governing this coring process remain only partially understood. Motivated by this gap, we develop a simple, energy-based model for puncture by blunt hollow needles, grounded in brittle fracture mechanics and extended to include frictional interactions at the needle-tissue interface. The model describes puncture as the competition between fracture and elastic deformation. Their energetic competition is controlled by the interplay among needle geometry (radius and wall thickness), material properties (toughness and elastic modulus), and interfacial parameters (adhesion and friction). This model provides semi-analytical predictions for five key quantities: core size, frictionless force, frictional force slope, critical insertion depth, and critical insertion force. Model predictions are validated against experiments, demonstrating that friction significantly affects force estimation and controls the puncture process, including needle insertion. These results offer quantitative insight into the mechanics of tissue coring and force generation during biopsy, providing a predictive foundation for needle design, sampling performance, and real-time control in robotic biopsy and needle-insertion systems.
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BibTeX
@article{wu2026hollow,
title = {{Hollow Needle Puncture Mechanics for Biopsy Sampling}},
author = {Yiting Wu and Frédéric Lechenault and Matteo Ciccotti and Mattia Bacca},
journal = {Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1016/j.jmps.2026.106748},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05734094v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hollow Needle Puncture Mechanics for Biopsy Sampling
AU - Yiting Wu
AU - Frédéric Lechenault
AU - Matteo Ciccotti
AU - Mattia Bacca
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/10
JO - Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids
DO - 10.1016/j.jmps.2026.106748
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05734094v1
AB - Biopsy sampling relies on hollow needles that puncture soft tissues by propagating and opening a cylindrical crack, yet the mechanics governing this coring process remain only partially understood. Motivated by this gap, we develop a simple, energy-based model for puncture by blunt hollow needles, grounded in brittle fracture mechanics and extended to include frictional interactions at the needle-tissue interface. The model describes puncture as the competition between fracture and elastic deformation. Their energetic competition is controlled by the interplay among needle geometry (radius and wall thickness), material properties (toughness and elastic modulus), and interfacial parameters (adhesion and friction). This model provides semi-analytical predictions for five key quantities: core size, frictionless force, frictional force slope, critical insertion depth, and critical insertion force. Model predictions are validated against experiments, demonstrating that friction significantly affects force estimation and controls the puncture process, including needle insertion. These results offer quantitative insight into the mechanics of tissue coring and force generation during biopsy, providing a predictive foundation for needle design, sampling performance, and real-time control in robotic biopsy and needle-insertion systems.
SN - 0022-5096
ER -