{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T04:50:26Z","timestamp":1768971026067,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,21]],"date-time":"2020-02-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1582243200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"This work was supported in part by the Tuscany Region within the FAS-Salute call, via the IMEROS project (CUPD66D16000120002).","award":["(CUPD66D16000120002)."],"award-info":[{"award-number":["(CUPD66D16000120002)."]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study presents an improved strategy for the detection and localization of small size nodules (down to few mm) of agar in excised pork liver tissues via pulse-echo ultrasound measurements performed with a 16 MHz needle probe. This work contributes to the development of a new generation of medical instruments to support robotic surgery decision processes that need information about cancerous tissues in a short time (minutes). The developed ultrasonic probe is part of a scanning platform designed for the automation of surgery-associated histological analyses. It was coupled with a force sensor to control the indentation of tissue samples placed on a steel plate. For the detection of nodules, we took advantage of the property of nodules of altering not only the acoustical properties of tissues producing ultrasound attenuation, but also of developing patterns at their boundary that can modify the shape and the amplitude of the received echo signals from the steel plate supporting the tissues. Besides the Correlation Index Amplitude (CIA), which is linked to the overall amplitude changes of the ultrasonic signals, we introduced the Correlation Index Shape (CIS) linked to their shape changes. Furthermore, we applied AND-OR logical operators to these correlation indices. The results were found particularly helpful in the localization of the irregular masses of agar we inserted into some excised liver tissues, and in the individuation of the regions of major interest over which perform the vertical dissections of tissues in an automated analysis finalized to histopathology. We correctly identified up to 89% of inclusions, with an improvement of about 14% with respect to the result obtained (78%) from the analysis performed with the CIA parameter only.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s20041183","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,21]],"date-time":"2020-02-21T10:49:16Z","timestamp":1582282156000},"page":"1183","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["An Improved Strategy for Detection and Localization of Nodules in Liver Tissues by a 16 MHz Needle Ultrasonic Probe Mounted on a Robotic Platform"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4180-7284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Bulletti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Information Engineering, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Firenze, 50139 Florence, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4307-1995","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marina","family":"Mazzoni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Information Engineering, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Firenze, 50139 Florence, Italy"},{"name":"Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche of Italy, Istituto di Fisica Applicata \u201cNello Carrara\u201d, 50121 Florence, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7339-5099","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sahana","family":"Prasanna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sant\u2019Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, 56025 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Luca","family":"Massari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sant\u2019Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, 56025 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Arianna","family":"Menciassi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sant\u2019Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, 56025 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1489-5701","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Calogero Maria","family":"Oddo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sant\u2019Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, 56025 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4432-3197","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Capineri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Information Engineering, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Firenze, 50139 Florence, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Hoffmann, K., El Gammal, S., Altmeyer, P., Freitag, M., Hermes, N., Schwarze, H.P., and St\u00fccker, M. 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