Towards Predicting Brain Deformations For Image-guided Neurosurgery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$304,281.00
Summary
We will significantly improve the efficiency of image-guided neurosurgery for brain tumours by creating a novel system to improve intra-operative visualisation and navigation utilising realistic prediction of brain deformations based on a biomechanical model. The system will create an augmented reality visualisation of the intra-operative configuration of the patient's brain merged with high resolution pre-operative imaging data in order to better localise the tumour and critical healthy tissues ....We will significantly improve the efficiency of image-guided neurosurgery for brain tumours by creating a novel system to improve intra-operative visualisation and navigation utilising realistic prediction of brain deformations based on a biomechanical model. The system will create an augmented reality visualisation of the intra-operative configuration of the patient's brain merged with high resolution pre-operative imaging data in order to better localise the tumour and critical healthy tissues.Read moreRead less
In Vivo Patellofemoral Joint Measurement Using Kinematic Radiostereometric Analysis (RSA)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$141,000.00
Summary
Complications following total knee joint replacement continue to be a major cause for revision surgery and leads to a significant financial burden in terms of health care expenditure. Recent studies suggest that many of these complications are associated with post-surgical pain from the patella knee cap joint, commonly termed anterior knee pain (AKP). Post-surgery AKP may be influenced by the motion of the patella. Recent prospective, randomised trials have compared clinical outcomes between peo ....Complications following total knee joint replacement continue to be a major cause for revision surgery and leads to a significant financial burden in terms of health care expenditure. Recent studies suggest that many of these complications are associated with post-surgical pain from the patella knee cap joint, commonly termed anterior knee pain (AKP). Post-surgery AKP may be influenced by the motion of the patella. Recent prospective, randomised trials have compared clinical outcomes between people with TKA in which the patellar surface is replaced (patellar resurfacing) or retained, but have been unable to accurately account for differences in patellar movement in those people with post-surgery complications. To date, studies of patellar motion after total knee replacement have been limited to two-dimensional analyses. This study addresses the technological limitations of previous trials by utilising accurate techniques for directly measuring skeletal motion using kinematic radiostereometric analysis (RSA). These data will measure patellar kinematics in three-dimensions for the first time. This information will allow optimisation of the design of TKA and the surgical techniques required for their implantation. Furthermore, the results will assist in the identification of surgical indications for patellar resurfacing, and the kinematic factors associated with anterior knee pain following total knee replacement surgery.Read moreRead less
Development And Evaluation Of Teleophthalmic Systems For Screening Of Common Blinding Eye Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$263,918.00
Summary
Portable ophthalmic instruments will provide digital images for storage and telemetric transmission to a disease control centre. We will be assessing and developing new portable ophthalmic imaging instruments, and validating them for common blinding eye conditions. The aim is to assess the ability of various health personal to document glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, active trachoma, corneal scarring and cataract in rural screenings using digital imaging technology. A network of ophthalmologists ....Portable ophthalmic instruments will provide digital images for storage and telemetric transmission to a disease control centre. We will be assessing and developing new portable ophthalmic imaging instruments, and validating them for common blinding eye conditions. The aim is to assess the ability of various health personal to document glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, active trachoma, corneal scarring and cataract in rural screenings using digital imaging technology. A network of ophthalmologists, health department personnel and aboriginal health workers in Western Australia will be involved. The project will also examine the quality of images obtained by health workers with various levels of skills and compare this with conventional photographs currently obtained by the screening network. Finally, the project will demonstrate practicality of the large scale storage of digital images of patient eyes. Preliminary evaluations have been performed on our teleophthalmology system using different portable instruments namely a handheld fundus camera, slit-lamp and indirect ophthalmoscope. We have also tested our teleophthalmology system at the Dr. Soetomo Hospital (Airlangga University) in Surabaya, Indonesia. Images captured using the handheld fundus camera were successfully transmitted to Lions Eye Institute through satellite, mobile and Internet lines. This pilot project has been sponsored by the Western Australian Department of Trade and Commerce and Telstra.Read moreRead less
The Use Of Electronic Portal Imaging Devices For The Dosimetric Verification Of Complex Radiotherapy Treatments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$260,949.00
Summary
The prognosis for someone diagnosed with cancer is much better than commonly believed. If detected early, malignant tumours are generally well localised. During these early stages of tumour growth high doses of radiation therapy can with a high probability, eradicate a cancer but come with the cost of causing unacceptable damage to normal tissue. A specific goal of improving the technology of radiation therapy is to reduce the probability of damage to normal tissue. Achieving this goal may allow ....The prognosis for someone diagnosed with cancer is much better than commonly believed. If detected early, malignant tumours are generally well localised. During these early stages of tumour growth high doses of radiation therapy can with a high probability, eradicate a cancer but come with the cost of causing unacceptable damage to normal tissue. A specific goal of improving the technology of radiation therapy is to reduce the probability of damage to normal tissue. Achieving this goal may allow delivery of higher doses with an associated increase in the chance of controlling the tumour. One of the challenges in radiation therapy is that tumours do not come in shapes that are easy to treat. Tumours extend into cavities and push aside healthy organs growing into complex 3D shapes. The careful shaping of the radiation beams to deliver dose distributions that match the 3D shape of the target is known as 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT). Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) is an advanced form of 3DCRT that allows the delivered dose to be closely tailored to the shape of complex tumour volumes while sparing neighbouring healthy tissues. One of the consequences of increasing the conformality of radiation therapy is an increased sensitivity to errors in the preparation and execution of the treatment. If the maximum gain in the treatment outcome using 3DCRT and IMRT techniques is to be achieved then it is crucial that the correct volume is treated to the correct dose on each day of the treatment. This requires new improved methods and techniques for verifying the daily delivery of the treatment. In this project we aim to develop the use of online digital imaging devices for measuring the delivered dose during treatment. This will increase the confidence with which these new conformal radiotherapy techniques can be delivered allowing their true potential for improving patient treatment outcomes to be realised.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Psychoacoustic And High-field FMRI Study Of Auditory Temporal Processsing Dysfunction In Schiophrenia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,000.00
Summary
This research seeks to improve our understanding of the causes of brain dysfunction in schizophrenia. This chronic and debilitating psychiatric disorder is usually accompanied by dramatic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and disordered patterns of thinking. Based on our interpretation of evidence from a number of fields of schizophrenia research we suspect that the brain dysfunction in schizophrenia may not in the brain areas responsible for those dramatic symptoms but occurs ....This research seeks to improve our understanding of the causes of brain dysfunction in schizophrenia. This chronic and debilitating psychiatric disorder is usually accompanied by dramatic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and disordered patterns of thinking. Based on our interpretation of evidence from a number of fields of schizophrenia research we suspect that the brain dysfunction in schizophrenia may not in the brain areas responsible for those dramatic symptoms but occurs initially in the very basic sensory regions of the brain. These regions can be thought of as providing the building blocks of our perceptions, that ultimately allow us to see, hear, smell and feel. Our previous research shows that people with schizophrenia have a very specific problem in the way that they perceive sounds. Using measures of brain activity, people with schizophrenia show consistent evidence that their brains do not process some of the timing information contained in sound. This is not the same as saying that people with schizophrenia are deaf, the deficits we see are much more subtle. It's a bit like the chaos theory analogy of a butterfly fluttering in Brazil and causing a typhoon in China. We think that very small alterations in brain activity in the initial stages of sensory processing can cascade through successively more complex stages of the brain, eventually creating the psychotic storm that becomes evident as the primary symptoms of schizophrenia. The brain regions we are interested in are located down at the base of the brain, in the brainstem, and it is only recently that the technology and methods of analysis we need to look at this activity have been developed. In this research we will be using functional magnetic resonance imaging and sophisticated hearing tests to examine whether these brain regions show the alterations we expect. If so, this will mean that the brain dysfunction in schizophrenia is quite different to what is currently believed.Read moreRead less
Novel Retinal Architectural Vascular Signs And Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease: The AusDiab Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$754,254.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes are major health problems. Identifying 'people at risk' is critical to design preventative strategies. We have developed new computer software to measure detailed characteristics of retinal vessels. By appling this system to predict CVD or diabetes in the AusDiab Study we aim to find 'the best combination of risk factors' to predict CVD and diabetes. This will open up the possibility of new risk assessment using a simple 'eye scan.'