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Biomedical subjects

A Zimolong

Publications and source records attributed to A Zimolong.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluation of deformable models for femoral neck surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Using fluoroscopic images alone, it is difficult to guarantee that screws are positioned within the femoral head and neck. This study evaluates whether the introduction of deformable 3D models limiting the planning and navigation space is a helpful approach to minimizing the incidence of misplaced screws, thereby enhancing patient safety. BACKGROUND: Even though a screw may appear to lie within the femoral head and neck on fluoroscopic images, this may not, in fact, be the case. This is a particular problem for interventions such as fixation of a slipped femoral head or osteosynthesis of the femoral neck, where screws must be set close to the cortical bone without penetrating the joint or injuring the cortex of the femoral neck. METHODS: A system was developed which permits computer-based planning and navigation of screws for femoral neck fracture fixation based on fluoroscopic images. Different approaches were employed which either a) make use of a deformable model adapted to the femoral head/neck, constraining the screw positions within this model; or b) allow the user to position the screws with or without geometrical constraints on the X-rays while maintaining parallelism of the screws. All designs were evaluated and compared by 7 test users using integral projection X-rays calculated from the CT dataset. Results were checked using a 3D model of the bone, also calculated from the CT dataset. RESULTS: Positioning screws using the deformable model resulted in a significantly smaller distribution of screw tip locations and no penetrations into the hip joint, in contrast to the other approaches where up to 11% of screws were misplaced. CONCLUSIONS: Constraining the planning and navigation space by means of a deformable model allows better control of screw positioning and thus increases the chances of a successful intervention. In particular, CAS systems allowing for virtual fluoroscopy should consider supporting this planning approach.

Bone Screws↗

[Developing authoring tools for web-based multi-media orthopedics education modules].

In the framework of the EC-Project VOEU ("Virtual Orthopaedic European University"), authoring tools have been developed to support the implementation of online interactive courses for multimedia orthopaedic educational modules. Based on the pedagogical concept of case-based, problem-oriented learning, different user-interaction scenarios and Learning Objects (LOs) were analyzed and developed. Each LO acts as an interactive dialogue presenting one kind of question with certain rules and interactions. The multimedia course content entailing anamnesis, diagnosis and therapy is managed in a database and can be adaptively generated as certain LO with the help of Active Server Pages (ASPs). As an example, an interactive course on Developmental Dislocation of Hip has been implemented.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

[Empirical studies of the reliability of surgical navigation systems].

A number of studies demonstrate the clinical relevance of systems for computer assisted surgery (CAS systems). As however studies on human error in medicine indicate, reliability of the results strongly depends on aspects of usability and error tolerance of the system. This paper presents studies which aim to assess these aspects of reliability of CAS systems. In a clinical study, interaction with a CAS system by 16 expert and novice surgeons was observed and assessed. From 133 recorded incidents 41% were rated to have significant impact on the clinical result or to inhibit successful completion of the task, which indicates a low degree of error tolerance of the system. These findings are supported by the results obtained from questionnaire, were learnability and error tolerance were judged to be not sufficient.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

[Adaptive planing model for osteosynthesis of femoral neck fracture].

To investigate how surgeons can be supported in planning of screws for femoral neck fracture fixation reducing incidents of misplaced screws, a system was developed which makes use of a deformable model to be adapted to the femoral head/neck. The accuracy and usability of the system was checked against planning support systems mimicking the conventional positioning of screws within bi-planar x-rays. All designs were evaluated and compared by N = 7 test user. Checking the rate of misplaced screws a) at the femoral neck yielded rates of 8% or up to 42%, b) at the femoral head yielded rates of 0% or up to 11% for model-based or conventional planning, respectively. It is thus suggested to constrain the planning and navigation space by means of deformable models of the bone.

Bone Screws↗

[CRIGOS: development of a compact robot for image-guided orthopedic surgery].

In this paper, we present a medical robot system dedicated to support the surgeon during challenging tasks within orthopedic interventions. The main goal of this work is to develop a system as technically simple as the surgical requirements allow to keep its cost and complexity to a minimum. Therefore, we primarily focus on calibrated X-ray imaging for image acquisition, an easy registration procedure and robotic execution using a positioning device with simple parallel kinematics. Examples of different orthopedic interventions using the compact robot system for image-guided orthopedic surgery (CRIGOS) are presented, as well as various modes of execution of the device.

Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee↗

CRIGOS: a compact robot for image-guided orthopedic surgery.

The CRIGOS (compact robot for image-guided orthopedic surgery) project was set up for the development of a compact surgical robot system for image-guided orthopedic surgery based on user requirements. The modular system comprises a compact parallel robot and a software system for planning of the surgical interventions and for supervision of the robotic device. Because it is not sufficient to consider only technical aspects in order to improve in clinical routine the therapeutic outcome of conventional interventions, a user-centered and task-oriented design process has been developed which also takes human factors into account. The design process for the CRIGOS system was started from requirement analysis of various orthopedic interventions using information gathered from literature, questionnaires, and workshops with domain experts. This resulted in identification of conventional interventions for which the robotic system would improve the medical and procedural quality. A system design concept has been elaborated which includes definitions of components, functionalities, and interfaces. Approaches to the acquisition of calibrated X-rays will be presented in the paper together with design and evaluation of a first human-computer interface. Finally, the first labtype parallel robot based on low-cost standard components is presented together with the first evaluation results concerning positioning accuracy.

Humans↗

Computer assisted orthopaedic surgery with image based individual templates.

Recent developments in computer assisted surgery offer promising solutions for the translation of the high accuracy of the preoperative imaging and planning into precise intraoperative surgery. Broad clinical application is hindered by high costs, additional time during intervention, problems of intraoperative man and machine interaction, and the spatially constrained arrangement of additional equipment within the operating theater. An alternative technique for computerized tomographic image based preoperative three-dimensional planning and precise surgery on bone structures using individual templates has been developed. For the preoperative customization of these mechanical tool guides, a desktop computer controlled milling device is used as a three-dimensional printer to mold the shape of small reference areas of the bone surface automatically into the body of the template. Thus, the planned position and orientation of the tool guide in spatial relation to bone is stored in a structural way and can be reproduced intraoperatively by adjusting the position of the customized contact faces of the template until the location of exact fit to the bone is found. No additional computerized equipment or time is needed during surgery. The feasibility of this approach has been shown in spine, hip, and knee surgery, and it has been applied clinically for pelvic repositioning osteotomies in acetabular dysplasia therapy.

Acetabulum↗