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Biomedical subjects

Septimiu E Salcudean

Publications and source records attributed to Septimiu E Salcudean.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Methods for segmenting curved needles in ultrasound images.

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle insertions are widely used techniques in current clinical practice. Some of these procedures have a high degree of difficulty because of poor observability of the needle in the ultrasound image. There have been recent efforts to improve guidance by computer assisted needle detection. These software techniques are often limited by not representing needle curvature. We present two methods to detect the needle in 2D ultrasound that specifically address needle curvature. Firstly, we demonstrate a real-time needle segmentation algorithm based on the Hough transform which detects the needle and represents its curved shape. Secondly, we demonstrate how a new coordinate transformation can transform detection of a curved needle to a linear fit. These methods are demonstrated on ultrasound and photographic images.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

Needle tip localization using stylet vibration.

Power Doppler ultrasound is used to localize the tip of a needle by detecting physical vibrations. Two types of vibrations are investigated, lateral and axial. The lateral vibrations are created by rotating a stylet, whose tip is slightly bent, inside a stationary cannula while the stylet is completely within the cannula. The minute deflection at the needle tip when rotated causes tissue motion. The axial vibration is induced by extending and retracting a straight stylet inside a stationary cannula. The stylet's tip makes contact with the tissue and causes it to move. The lateral vibration method was found to perform approximately the same under a variety of configurations (e.g., different insertion angles and depths) and better than the axial vibration method. Tissue stiffness affects the performance of the lateral vibration method, but good images can be obtained through proper tuning of the ultrasound machine.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

System for deep venous thrombosis detection using objective compression measures.

A system for objective vessel compression assessment for deep venous thrombosis characterization using ultrasound image data and a sensorized ultrasound probe is presented. Two new objective measures calculated from applied force and transverse vessel area are also presented and used to describe vessel compressibility. A modified star-Kalman algorithm is used for feature detection in acquired ultrasound images, and objective measures of vessel compressibility are calculated from the detected features and acquired force and location data from the sensorized probe. A three-dimensional shape model of the examined vessel that includes compressibility measures mapped as colors to its surface is presented on the user interface, as well as a virtual representation of the image plane. The compressibility measures were validated using expert segmentation of healthy and diseased vessels and compared using paired t-tests, which showed a significant difference between healthy and diseased cases for both measures. 100% sensitivity and specificity were obtained for both measures. The system was implemented in real-time (16 Hz) and evaluated using a tissue phantom and on healthy human subjects. Sensitivity was 100% and 60%, while specificity was 97% for both measures when implemented. The initial results for the system and its components are promising.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

Motion estimation in ultrasound images using time domain cross correlation with prior estimates.

In this paper we introduce a new speckle tracking method that is based on the standard time-domain cross correlation strain estimation (TDE). We call this method time-domain cross-correlation with prior estimates (TDPE), because it uses prior displacement estimates of neighboring windows to speed up computation. TDPE has all the advantages of TDE, but is much faster. Simulations, as well as experiments with phantoms and tissue, indicate that TDPE is capable of reliably estimating tissue displacement and strain over a large range of displacements in real time. The computational efficiency of TDPE is compared with current time-efficient methods that have been used in real time strain imaging systems. The results show that TDPE is the most time efficient algorithm to date, and is roughly 10 times faster than the TDE. The implementation of TDPE on an Ultrasonix RP500 ultrasound machine runs at 30 fps for strain images of 16000 pixels.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

3D needle-tissue interaction simulation for prostate brachytherapy.

This paper presents a needle-tissue interaction model that is a 3D extension of a prior work based on the finite element method. The model is also adapted to accommodate arbitrary meshes so that the anatomy can effectively be meshed using third-party algorithms. Using this model a prostate brachytherapy simulator is designed to help medical residents acquire needle steering skills. This simulation uses a prostate mesh generated from clinical data segmented as contours on parallel slices. Node repositioning and addition, which are methods for achieving needle-tissue coupling, are discussed. In order to achieve realtime haptic rates, computational approaches to these methods are compared. Specifically, the benefit of using the Woodbury formula (matrix inversion lemma) is studied. Our simulation of needle insertion into a prostate is shown to run faster than 1 kHz.

Brachytherapy↗
PubMed2005

Interactive simulation of needle insertion models.

A novel interactive virtual needle insertion simulation is presented. The simulation models are based on measured planar tissue deformations and needle insertion forces. Since the force-displacement relationship is only of interest along the needle shaft, a condensation technique is shown to reduce the computational complexity of linear simulation models significantly. As the needle penetrates or is withdrawn from the tissue model, the boundary conditions that determine the tissue and needle motion change. Boundary condition and local material coordinate changes are facilitated by fast low-rank matrix updates. A large-strain elastic needle model is coupled to the tissue models to account for needle deflection and bending during simulated insertion. A haptic environment, based on these novel interactive simulation techniques, allows users to manipulate a three-degree-of-freedom virtual needle as it penetrates virtual tissue models, while experiencing steering torques and lateral needle forces through a planar haptic interface.

Algorithms↗