0000000000073907
AUTHOR
Marek Waligora
A New Statistical Reconstruction Method for the Computed Tomography Using an X-Ray Tube with Flying Focal Spot
Abstract This paper presents a new image reconstruction method for spiral cone- beam tomography scanners in which an X-ray tube with a flying focal spot is used. The method is based on principles related to the statistical model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) methodology. The proposed approach is a continuous-to-continuous data model approach, and the forward model is formulated as a shift-invariant system. This allows for avoiding a nutating reconstruction-based approach, e.g. the advanced single slice rebinning methodology (ASSR) that is usually applied in computed tomography (CT) scanners with X-ray tubes with a flying focal spot. In turn, the proposed approach allows for signific…
Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome as a Growing Diagnostic Problem in Emergency Department Settings: A Case Report.
Abstract Background Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a common complication of an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure, which is usually clinically insignificant. However, without monitoring, it can progress into a life-threatening condition. With the increasing popularity of IVF technology, patients with OHSS may begin visiting emergency departments (EDs) more frequently. Case Report We report the case of a patient admitted to the ED presenting with severe abdominal pain, cough, and nausea. An ultrasound examination was inconclusive. Computer tomography revealed enlarged ovaries and fluid in the pleural cavities, around the liver and spleen, between the bowel loops, and in the …
Virtual Reality Based Simulators for Neurosurgeons - What We Have and What We Hope to Have in the Nearest Future
High levels of manual skills, good visual-motor coordination, excel‐lent imagination and spatial awareness are the main factors determining the success of neurosurgeons. Proficiency in neurosurgical skills used to be acquired through hands-on training in cadaver labs and in real operating theatres under master neurosurgeon supervision. Most recently, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) computer simulations have also been considered as tools for education in the neurosurgical training. The authors review existing solutions and present their own concept of a simulator which could become the useful tool for planning, simulation and training of a specific neurosurgical procedure usi…
Efficacy of DiscoGel in Treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease: A Prospective 1-Year Observation of 67 Patients
Patients with degenerative disc disease may suffer from chronic lumbar discogenic (DP) or radicular leg (RLP) pain. Minimally invasive DiscoGel therapy involves the percutaneous injection of an ethanol gel into the degenerated disk’s nucleus pulposus. This paper compares the 1-year outcome of such treatment in DP and RLP patients. We operated on 67 patients (49 men and 18 women) aged 20–68 years (mean age 46 ± 11 years) with DP (n = 45) and RLP (n = 22), of at least 6–8 weeks duration, with no adverse effects. We evaluated the treatment outcome with Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). A year after the ethanol gel injection, in the DP cohort, COMI and VAS droppe…