Marker-based C-arm self-calibration with unknown calibration pattern.

Background: Accurate tomographic reconstructions require the knowledge of the actual acquisition geometry. Many mobile C-arm CT scanners have poorly reproducible acquisition geometries and thus need acquisition-specific calibration procedures. Most of geometric self-calibration methods based on projection data either need prior information or are limited to the estimation of a low number of geometric calibration parameters.

Bayesian network analysis of panomic biological big data identifies the importance of triglyceride-rich LDL in atherosclerosis development.

Introduction: We sought to explore biomarkers of coronary atherosclerosis in an unbiased fashion.

Methods: We analyzed 665 patients (mean ± SD age, 56 ± 11 years; 47% male) from the GLOBAL clinical study (NCT01738828). Cases were defined by the presence of any discernable atherosclerotic plaque based on comprehensive cardiac computed tomography (CT).

Intra-operative fluorescence-based detection of positive surgical margins during radical prostatectomy: Lessons learned from a pilot ex vivo translational study.

Objectives: Nerve-sparing techniques during radical prostatectomy have been associated with an increased risk of positive surgical margins. The intra-operative detection of residual prostatic tissue could help mitigate this risk. The objectives of the present study were to assess the feasibility of using an anti-prostate-specific membrane antigen (anti-PSMA) antibody conjugated with a fluorophore to characterize fresh prostate tissue as prostatic or non-prostatic for intra-operative surgical margin detection.

Qualitative Comparison of Image Stitching Algorithms for Multi-Camera Systems in Laparoscopy.

Multi-camera systems were recently introduced into laparoscopy to increase the narrow field of view of the surgeon. The video streams are stitched together to create a panorama that is easier for the surgeon to comprehend. Multi-camera prototypes for laparoscopy use quite basic algorithms and have only been evaluated on simple laparoscopic scenarios.

Heritability of Coronary Artery Disease: Insights From a Classical Twin Study.

Background: Genetics have a strong influence on calcified atherosclerotic plaques; however, data regarding the heritability of noncalcified plaque volume are scarce. We aimed to evaluate genetic versus environmental influences on calcium (coronary artery calcification) score, noncalcified and calcified plaque volumes by coronary computed tomography angiography in adult twin pairs without known coronary artery disease.

Methods: In the prospective BUDAPEST-GLOBAL (Burden of Atherosclerotic Plaques Study in Twins-Genetic Loci and the Burden of Atherosclerotic Lesions) classical twin study, we analyzed twin pairs without known coronary artery disease.

Transgelin: a new gene involved in LDL endocytosis identified by a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen.

A significant proportion of patients with elevated LDL and a clinical presentation of familial hypercholesterolemia do not carry known genetic mutations associated with hypercholesterolemia, such as defects in the LDL receptor. To identify new genes involved in the cellular uptake of LDL, we developed a novel whole-genome clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-Cas9 KO screen in HepG2 cells. We identified transgelin (TAGLN), an actin-binding protein, as a potentially new gene involved in LDL endocytosis.

Left Ventricular Systolic Function Has Strong Independent Genetic Background from Diastolic Function: A Classical Twin Study.

No data are available on whether the heritability of left ventricle (LV) systolic and diastolic parameters are independent of each other. Therefore, our aim was to assess the magnitude of common and independent genetic and environmental factors defining LV systolic and diastolic function. We analyzed 184 asymptomatic twins (65% female, mean age: 56 ± 9 years).

Explaining a model predicting quality of surgical practice: a first presentation to and review by clinical experts.

Purpose: Surgical Data Science (SDS) is an emerging research domain offering data-driven answers to challenges encountered by clinicians during training and practice. We previously developed a framework to assess quality of practice based on two aspects: exposure of the surgical scene (ESS) and the surgeon's profile of practice (SPP). Here, we wished to investigate the clinical relevance of the parameters learned by this model by (1) interpreting these parameters and identifying associated representative video samples and (2) presenting this information to surgeons in the form of a video-enhanced questionnaire.

Improving vision for surgeons during laparoscopy: the Enhanced Laparoscopic Vision System (ELViS).

Background: For many abdominal surgical interventions, laparotomy has gradually been replaced by laparoscopy, with numerous benefits for the patient in terms of post-operative recovery. However, during laparoscopy, the endoscope only provides a single viewpoint to the surgeon, leaving numerous blind spots and opening the way to peri-operative adverse events. Alternative camera systems have been proposed, but many lack the requisite resolution/robustness for use during surgery or cannot provide real-time images.

Machine learning and registration for automatic seed localization in 3D US images for prostate brachytherapy.

Purpose: New radiation therapy protocols, in particular adaptive, focal or boost brachytherapy treatments, require determining precisely the position and orientation of the implanted radioactive seeds from real-time ultrasound (US) images. This is necessary to compare them to the planned one and to adjust automatically the dosimetric plan accordingly for next seeds implantations. The image modality, the small size of the seeds, and the artifacts they produce make it a very challenging problem.

Standardised computed tomographic assessment of left atrial morphology and tissue thickness in humans.

Aims: Left atrial (LA) remodelling is a common feature of many cardiovascular pathologies and is a sensitive marker of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The aim of this study was to establish normal ranges for LA parameters derived from coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) imaging using a standardised image processing pipeline to establish normal ranges in a previously described cohort.

Methods: CCTA imaging from 193 subjects recruited to the Budapest GLOBAL twin study was analysed.

External versus endoscopic ultrasound: Non-inferiority assessment for visualization of various structures of interest in the shoulder.

Introduction: Certain structures and pathologies can be difficult to reveal under videoscopy alone during arthroscopic surgery. Ultrasound can be a useful contribution in arthroscopic diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The main aim of the present study was to assess equivalence between endoscopic and external ultrasound for shoulder exploration.

Environmental Factors Slightly Outweigh Genetic Influences in the Development of Pancreatic Lipid Accumulation: A Classical Twin Study.

Several studies showed that lipid accumulation in the pancreas (NAFPD: nonalcoholic fatty pancreas disease) may lead to different pancreatic disorders, including beta-cell dysfunction. The role of genetic and environmental factors in pancreatic lipid accumulation is unclear. We evaluated the magnitude of genetic and environmental impact on pancreatic lipid content within a cohort of adult twin pairs.

Offline identification of surgical deviations in laparoscopic rectopexy.

Objective: According to a meta-analysis of 7 studies, the median number of patients with at least one adverse event during the surgery is 14.4%, and a third of those adverse events were preventable. The occurrence of adverse events forces surgeons to implement corrective strategies and, thus, deviate from the standard surgical process.

Dynamic path planning for percutaneous procedures in the abdomen during free breathing.

Purpose: Percutaneous procedures are increasingly used for the treatment of tumors in abdominal structures. Most of the time, these procedures are planned based on static preoperative images and do not take into account any motions, while breathing control is not always applicable. In this paper, we present a method to automatically adjust the planned path in real time according to the breathing.

Predicting the quality of surgical exposure using spatial and procedural features from laparoscopic videos.

PURPOSE : Evaluating the quality of surgical procedures is a major concern in minimally invasive surgeries. We propose a bottom-up approach based on the study of Sleeve Gastrectomy procedures, for which we analyze what we assume to be an important indicator of the surgical expertise: the exposure of the surgical scene. We first aim at predicting this indicator with features extracted from the laparoscopic video feed, and second to analyze how the extracted features describing the surgical practice influence this indicator.

Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations.

So far, the large and expanding body of research on meditation has mostly focussed on the putative benefits of meditation on health and well-being. However, a growing number of reports indicate that psychologically unpleasant experiences can occur in the context of meditation practice. Very little is known about the prevalence and potential causes of these experiences.

Real-time tracking of surgical instruments based on spatio-temporal context and deep learning.

ABSTARCT Real-time tool tracking in minimally invasive-surgery (MIS) has numerous applications for computer-assisted interventions (CAIs). Visual tracking approaches are a promising solution to real-time surgical tool tracking, however, many approaches may fail to complete tracking when the tracker suffers from issues such as motion blur, adverse lighting, specular reflections, shadows, and occlusions. We propose an automatic real-time method for two-dimensional tool detection and tracking based on a spatial transformer network (STN) and spatio-temporal context (STC).

Comprehensive coronary plaque assessment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have assessed the relationship between OSA and coronary artery disease (CAD) using coronary artery calcium score (CAC) measurements. However, limited data are available regarding the association of OSA with non-calcified plaque burden.

Genetically determined pattern of left ventricular function in normal and hypertensive hearts.

We sought to assess the inheritance of left ventricular (LV) function using speckle-tracking echocardiography and the impact of hypertension on modifying the genetically determined pattern of contraction in a population of twins. We recruited 92 Caucasian twin pairs, including 74 hypertensive (HTN) siblings. Beyond standard echocardiographic protocol, a speckle-tracking analysis was performed, including global longitudinal strain (GLS).

Qualitative and quantitative assessment of cartilage degeneration using full-field optical coherence tomography ex vivo.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of full-field optical coherence tomography (FFOCT) to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate cartilage degeneration using the qualitative evaluation of histology sections as the reference.

Design: Thirty-three human knee cartilage samples of variable degeneration were included in the study. A closely matching histology and FFOCT image was acquired for each sample.

Tracking-by-detection of surgical instruments in minimally invasive surgery via the convolutional neural network deep learning-based method.

Background: Worldwide propagation of minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) is hindered by their drawback of indirect observation and manipulation, while monitoring of surgical instruments moving in the operated body required by surgeons is a challenging problem. Tracking of surgical instruments by vision-based methods is quite lucrative, due to its flexible implementation via software-based control with no need to modify instruments or surgical workflow.

Methods: A MIS instrument is conventionally split into a shaft and end-effector portions, while a 2D/3D tracking-by-detection framework is proposed, which performs the shaft tracking followed by the end-effector one.