Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery 

Abstract: Generation of graspable three-dimensional objects applied for surgical planning, prosthetics and related applications using 3D printing or rapid prototyping is summarized and evaluated. Graspable 3D objects overcome the limitations of 3D visualizations which can only be displayed on flat screens. 3D objects can be produced based on CT or MRI volumetric medical images. Using dedicated post-processing algorithms, a spatial model can be extracted from image data sets and exported to machine-readable data. That spatial model data is utilized by special printers for generating the final rapid prototype model. Patient–clinician interaction, surgical training, medical research and education may require graspable 3D objects. The limitations of rapid prototyping include cost and complexity, as well as the need for specialized equipment and consumables such as photoresist resins. Medical application of rapid prototyping is feasible for specialized surgical planning and prosthetics applications and has significant potential for development of new medical applications.

Abstract: The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK) has been available as open-source software for almost 10 years now. In this period the requirements of software systems in the medical image processing domain have become increasingly complex. The aim of this paper is to show how MITK evolved into a software system that is able to cover all steps of a clinical workflow including data retrieval, image analysis, diagnosis, treatment planning, intervention support, and treatment control. MITK provides modularization and extensibility on different levels. In addition to the original toolkit, a module system, micro services for small, system-wide features, a service-oriented architecture based on the Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi) standard, and an extensible and configurable application framework allow MITK to be used, extended and deployed as needed. A refined software process was implemented to deliver high-quality software, ease the fulfillment of regulatory requirements, and enable teamwork in mixed-competence teams. MITK has been applied by a worldwide community and integrated into a variety of solutions, either at the toolkit level or as an application framework with custom extensions. The MITK Workbench has been released as a highly extensible and customizable end-user application. Optional support for tool tracking, image-guided therapy, diffusion imaging as well as various external packages (e.g. CTK, DCMTK, OpenCV, SOFA, Python) is available. MITK has also been used in several FDA/CE-certified applications, which demonstrates the high-quality software and rigorous development process. MITK provides a versatile platform with a high degree of modularization and interoperability and is well suited to meet the challenging tasks of today’s and tomorrow’s clinically motivated research.

Abstract: Research on surgical robotics demands systems for evaluating scientific approaches. Such systems can be divided into dedicated and versatile systems. Dedicated systems are designed for a single surgical task or technique, whereas versatile systems are designed to be expandable and useful in multiple surgical applications. Versatile systems are often based on industrial robots, though, and because of this, are hardly suitable for close contact with humans. To achieve a high degree of versatility the Miro robotic surgery platform (MRSP) consists of versatile components, dedicated front–ends towards surgery and configurable interfaces for the surgeon. This paper presents MiroSurge, a configuration of the MRSP that allows for bimanual endoscopic telesurgery with force feedback. While the components of the MiroSurge system are shown to fulfil the rigid design requirements for robotic telesurgery with force feedback, the system remains versatile, which is supposed to be a key issue for the further development and optimisation.

Abstract: Purpose Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is commonly used for noninvasive gastrointestinal tract evaluation, including the detection of mucosal polyps. A new embeddable method for polyp detection in wireless capsule endoscopic images was developed and tested.

Abstract: Electromagnetic tracking systems have found increasing use in medical applications during the last few years. As with most non-trivial spatial measurement systems, the complex determination of positions and orientations from their underlying raw sensor measurements results in complicated, non-uniform error distributions over the specified measurement volume. This makes it difficult to unambiguously determine accuracy and performance assessments that allow users to judge the suitability of these systems for their particular needs. Various assessment protocols generally emphasize different measurement aspects that typically arise in clinical use. This can easily lead to inconclusive or even contradictory conclusions. We examine some of the major issues involved and discuss three useful calibration protocols. The measurement accuracy of a system can be described in terms of its 'trueness' and its 'precision'. Often, the two are strongly coupled and cannot be easily determined independently. We present a method that allows the two to be disentangled, so that the resultant trueness properly represents the systematic, non-reducible part of the measurement error, and the resultant precision (or repeatability) represents only the statistical, reducible part. Although the discussion is given largely within the context of electromagnetic tracking systems, many of the results are applicable to measurement systems in general.