A statistical shape model of the human second cervical vertebra.

Purpose: Statistical shape and appearance models play an important role in reducing the segmentation processing time of a vertebra and in improving results for 3D model development. Here, we describe the different steps in generating a statistical shape model (SSM) of the second cervical vertebra (C2) and provide the shape model for general use by the scientific community. The main difficulties in its construction are the morphological complexity of the C2 and its variability in the population.

A framework for intraoperative update of 3D deformable models in liver surgery.

Efficient computer assisted surgery dealing with soft tissues remains a complex task. In most cases, the preoperative information such as 3D organ reconstructions and the planning built upon are no longer valid during the surgical process itself due to the deformations of the organ of interest. In this article, we describe the foundation parts of a framework that enables updating preoperative 3D models with intraoperative measurements in case of liver resection.

Endoscopic navigation for minimally invasive suturing.

Manipulating small objects such as needles, screws or plates inside the human body during minimally invasive surgery can be very difficult for less experienced surgeons due to the loss of 3D depth perception. Classical navigation techniques are often incapable of providing support in such situations, as the augmentation of the scene with the necessary artificial markers--if possible at all--is usually cumbersome and leads to increased invasiveness. We present an approach relying solely on a standard endoscope as a tracking device for determining the pose of such objects, using the example of a suturing needle.

Endoscopic navigation for minimally invasive suturing.

Manipulating small objects such as needles, screws or plates inside the human body during minimally invasive surgery can be very difficult for less experienced surgeons, due to the loss of 3D depth perception. This paper presents an approach for tracking a suturing needle using a standard endoscope. The resulting pose information of the needle is then used to generate artificial 3D cues on the 2D screen to optimally support surgeons during tissue suturing.

Markerless endoscopic registration and referencing.

Accurate patient registration and referencing is a key element in navigated surgery. Unfortunately all existing methods are either invasive or very time consuming. We propose a fully non-invasive optical approach using a tracked monocular endoscope to reconstruct the surgical scene in 3D using photogrammetric methods.

Optimal femoral head contour segmentation in CT images using dynamic programming.

We present a new contour segmentation method for femoral head detection in CT images. The principal idea underlying our approach is to represent the contour using active rays. Each ray has internal energy (continuity and smoothness constraints), as well as external energy (image-oriented edges and global a-priori knowledge).