Several different technologies have been employed for the local ablation of tissue by thermal techniques. At the present time the most widely favoured technique is radiofrequency ablation (RFA) but developments in other techniques, e.g. microwave may change this. In many countries RFA or percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) are accepted therapies for patients with Childs Pugh Class A or B cirrh...

Introduction We present an image-guided surgical microscope system using augmented reality image overlays added onto one of the views of the operating microscope. With this system, segmented objects, outlines of risk regions, access pathways or 3D objects, previously extracted from preoperative tomographic images can be directly displayed as augmented reality overlays on the microscope image. R...

Recent advances in image guided surgery are changing the manner in which surgeons are able to execute difficult procedures. By building detailed, patient-specific models of anatomy, and augmenting those models with other information, such as functional properties, the surgeon can better plan her procedure to optimally extract target tissue while avoiding nearby critical structures. By registeri...

Objective: Autologous osteochondral cartilage repair is a valuable reconstruction option for cartilage defects, but the accuracy to harvest and deliver osteochondral grafts remains problematic. We investigated whether image-guided methods (optically guided and template guided) can improve the outcome of these procedures. Design: Fifteen sheep were operated to create traumatic chondral injuries ...

Application of image-guided surgical systems to otologic surgery has been limited by the need for submillimeter accuracy via a fiducial system that is easily useable (i.e. noninvasive and nonobstructive). To overcome these limitations and demonstrate the feasibility of image-guided otologic surgery, a novel fiducial marker system was constructed which attaches to a dental biteblock and has fidu...

An overview of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a true revolution in the field of radiation oncology in that it provides the unprecedented means of conforming to the shape of the target tissues in 3-dimensions, reducing the risk of complications thereby improving the quality of life of irradiated patients. Moreover, IMRT provides the means to deliver higher than conventional doses ...

Edge preserving filters aim to simplify the representation of images (e.g., by reducing noise or eliminating irrelevant detail) while preserving their most significant edges. These filters are typically nonlinear and locally smooth the image structure while minimizing both blurring and over-sharpening of visually important edges. Here we present the Alternating Guided Filter (AGF) that achieves...

With increasing emphasis on reducing the volume of radiation therapy fields while maintaining or improving precision of treatment and reducing radiation-related normal tissue toxicity, treatment position verification and correction before delivering radiotherapy had gained major importance. A variety of techniques have been developed that can accomplish this goal with aplomb, albeit each with i...

Transthoracic image guided biopsy is now firmly established in the armamentarium of diagnostic tests to establish the nature of a mass in the lung, pleura, mediastinum or chest wall. It may be performed under computed tomographic, ultrasonic or fluoroscopic control, and provided a fine needle technique is employed, morbidity is low. Worldwide reports show a 90% true positive yield and a false p...

Volumetric imaging and planning for 3-D conformal RT and IMRT have pressured the oncology community to better understand the geometric uncertainties inherent in the RT delivery process, including set-up error (inter-fraction) as well as organ motion during treatment (intra-fraction). This has ushered in the development of emerging technologies and clinical processes collectively referred to as ...