Interface[s] Montréal

Data Modeling and Visualisation

Farida Chériet

École Polytechnique de Montréal

3D navigation systems for assistance of minimaly invasives surgeries of the spine

View the presentation [In French]

Over the last ten years, several technological innovations have enabled the improvement of medical imaging systems as well as the emergence of video surgery techniques for minimally invasive operations. This type of procedure, which is currently undergoing a significant growth phase in its development, consists of operating on the patient using instruments and a camera (endoscope) that are introduced via small incisions, while following the operation on a monitor. This technique provides numerous advantages and, by minimising postoperative trauma and the length of hospital stay for patients, also provides substantial savings. As a result, the application of this type of surgery has quickly been expanded into use across all surgical fields (abdominal surgery, cardiac surgery, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, etc…). This accelerated progression, however, has resulted in new challenges for surgeons as they learn to cope with reduced visibility and access in operating areas. Add to this the fact that, because the depth of operating-field concept does not exist as it does in classic open surgery situations, the technique is not very intuitive and requires that surgeons follow extensive training.

The general objective of the presented project is to define a development methodology for the primary components of a 3D navigation system used to guide surgeons through minimally invasive operations of the rachis. In the medium to long term, this project aims to develop specific approaches for the use of artificial vision in the clinical productivity context and allow for:

• I) the multimodal fusion of rachis images generated by X-ray and endoscopic systems in order to provide the surgeon with a more realistic view of the operating scene;

• II) 3D visualisation and the tracking of surgical instruments within the structure of interest. The proposed system will definitely enhance the surgeon’s vision and lead to treatment that is more effective, less invasive, less time consuming and less risky. Socio-economic benefits will be ensured through the technological transfer of 3D navigation systems towards industry partners, who will produce the appropriate surgical guidance tools that will lead to an improvement in the quality of patients’ lives and an overall reduction in length-of-stays and hospitalisation costs.

Farida Cheriet received her B.Sc. degree in computer science from the University USTHB, Algiers, Algeria in 1984 and her D.E.A. degree in the field of Languages, Algorithms and Programming from the University of Paris VI, France in 1986. She received the PhD degree in computer science from the University of Montreal, Canada in 1996. She held a postdoctoral position at the Biomedical Engineering Institute of the École Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada, from 1997 to 1999. Since 1999, she has been appointed in the department of Computer Engineering at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal where she is currently an associate professor. Prof. Cheriet’s research interests include, 3D reconstruction of bone structures from X-rays, calibration of X-ray imaging systems, non invasive 3D modeling of scoliosis deformities, 3D navigation systems for minimally invasive surgery, 3D reconstruction of vascular structures and 3D motion estimation from angiographic sequences.