Cryo-Balloon Catheter Localization Based on a Support-Vector-Machine Approach.

Cryo-balloon catheters have attracted an increasing amount of interest in the medical community as they can reduce patient risk during left atrial pulmonary vein ablation procedures. As cryo-balloon catheters are not equipped with electrodes, they cannot be localized automatically by electro-anatomical mapping systems. As a consequence, X-ray fluoroscopy has remained an important means for guidance during the procedure.

An augmented reality framework for soft tissue surgery.

Augmented reality for soft tissue laparoscopic surgery is a growing topic of interest in the medical community and has potential application in intra-operative planning and image guidance. Delivery of such systems to the operating room remains complex with theoretical challenges related to tissue deformation and the practical limitations of imaging equipment. Current research in this area generally only solves part of the registration pipeline or relies on fiducials, manual model alignment or assumes that tissue is static.

Biomechanically driven registration of pre- to intra-operative 3D images for laparoscopic surgery.

Minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery is widely used for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. During the procedure, gas insufflation is used to create space for laparoscopic tools and operation. Insufflation causes the organs and abdominal wall to deform significantly.

Chromoendoscopy in magnetically guided capsule endoscopy.

Background: Diagnosis of intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia via conventional endoscopy is characterized by low interobserver agreement and poor correlation with histopathologic findings. Chromoendoscopy significantly enhances the visibility of mucosa irregularities, like metaplasia and dysplasia mucosa. Magnetically guided capsule endoscopy (MGCE) offers an alternative technology for upper GI examination.

Automatic region-of-interest segmentation and pathology detection in magnetically guided capsule endoscopy.

Magnetically-guided capsule endoscopy (MGCE) was introduced in 2010 as a procedure where a capsule in the stomach is navigated via an external magnetic field. The quality of the examination depends on the operator's ability to detect aspects of interest in real time. We present a novel two step computer-assisted diagnostic-procedure (CADP) algorithm for indicating gastritis and gastrointestinal bleedings in the stomach during the examination.

Integrated navigation and control software system for MRI-guided robotic prostate interventions.

A software system to provide intuitive navigation for MRI-guided robotic transperineal prostate therapy is presented. In the system, the robot control unit, the MRI scanner, and the open-source navigation software are connected together via Ethernet to exchange commands, coordinates, and images using an open network communication protocol, OpenIGTLink. The system has six states called "workphases" that provide the necessary synchronization of all components during each stage of the clinical workflow, and the user interface guides the operator linearly through these workphases.

Pneumatically Operated MRI-Compatible Needle Placement Robot for Prostate Interventions.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has potential to be a superior medical imaging modality for guiding and monitoring prostatic interventions. The strong magnetic field prevents the use of conventional mechatronics and the confined physical space makes it extremely challenging to access the patient. We have designed a robotic assistant system that overcomes these difficulties and promises safe and reliable intra-prostatic needle placement inside closed high-field MRI scanners.