Inner ear drug delivery through a cochlear implant: Pharmacokinetics in a Macaque experimental model.

Objectives: The method of drug delivery directly into the cochlea with an implantable pump connected to a CI electrode array ensures long-term delivery and effective dose control, and also provides the possibility to use different drugs. The objective is to develop a model of inner ear pharmacokinetics of an implanted cochlea, with the delivery of FITC-Dextran, in the non-human primate model.

Design: A preclinical cochlear electrode array (CI Electrode Array HL14DD, manufactured by Cochlear Ltd.

Realistic Environment Audiometric Booth: Development and Clinical Validation.

Background: Technological developments to treat hearing loss with different types of hearing aids and auditory implants have improved the auditory perception of patients, particularly in highly complex listening conditions. These devices can be fitted and adapted to enhance speech perception. Audiological tests that assess hearing with and without auditory devices have traditionally taken place in sound-attenuated audiometric booths.

Sensors on the Move: Onboard Camera-Based Real-Time Traffic Alerts Paving the Way for Cooperative Roads.

European road safety has improved greatly in recent decades. However, the current numbers are still far away to reach the European Commission's road safety targets. In this context, Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) are expected to significantly improve road safety, traffic efficiency and comfort of driving, by helping the driver to make better decisions and adapt to the traffic situation.

Real-Time Visual Tracking of Deformable Objects in Robot-Assisted Surgery.

One of the most challenging problems in robot-assisted surgical systems is to provide surgical realism at interactive simulation rates. The proposed visual tracking system can track and register object deformations in real time using a physically based formulation, despite the occlusions produced by the robotic system itself. The results obtained provide an accurate visual representation of the deformed solid and will thus enable new assistance approaches to help surgeons during surgical procedures.

Study of a Ray Casting Technique for the Visualization of Deformable Volumes.

Deformable models are widely used in many disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Real objects are usually scanned to create models in such applications. In many cases the shape of the object is extracted from volumetric data acquired during the scanning phase.

Review and Challenges of Brain Analysis through DTI Measurements.

Medical images are being studied to analyse the brain in neurological disorders. Measurements extracted from Diffusion tensor image (DTI) such as Fractional Anisotropy (FA) describe the brain changes caused by diseases. However, there is no single best method for the quantitative brain analysis.

An automatic tool to facilitate the statistical group analysis of DTI.

Background: Users may have difficulty calculating DTI group statistics since they need to master several complex tools that require high user intervention. A tool called DTIStatistics for the automatic and easy calculation of DTI group statistics was developed to reduce analysis times and possible errors.

Methods: The proposed software was designed by using a user-centred methodology in which we performed an iterative usability evaluation with an expert committee.

Distortion correction and calibration of intra-operative spine X-ray images using a constrained DLT algorithm.

This work presents an automatic method for distortion correction and calibration of intra-operative spine X-ray images, a fundamental step for the use of this modality in computer and robotic assisted surgeries. Our method is based on a prototype calibration drum, attached to the c-arm intensifier during the intervention. The projections of its embedded fiducial beads onto the X-ray images are segmented by the proposed method, which uses its calculated centroids to undo the distortion and, afterwards, calibrate the c-arm.

A review of surgical robots for spinal interventions.

Background: This study aimed to describe the state of the art in surgical robotics for spinal interventions, a challenging problem for which robots can provide valuable assistance.

Methods: Multiple electronic databases were searched for articles published during the last 10 years (2002-2012). Results were refined by defined inclusion criteria.

Maxillofacial surgery simulation using a mass-spring model derived from continuum and the scaled displacement method.

Purpose: Development of a maxillofacial surgery simulation software capable of predicting a patient's appearance after surgery.

Methods: We have derived a new mass-spring model (MSM) equivalent to a linear finite element (FE) model for cubic elements. In addition, we propose the scaled displacement method as a new method to perform the simulation more realistically.