We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GC Medical Science corp.

Download Mobile App




Head Position Cap Improves Endonasal Surgery

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 11 Jul 2017
A granular jamming cap filled with coffee grounds conforms closely to the shape of a patient’s head, helping surgeons to better track movements.

Developed at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN, USA), the cap is based on a flexible silicone bladder headpiece that is filled with coffee grounds. More...
Once the cap, which is covered with pattern of reflective dots, has been placed on the patient’s head, it is attached to a vacuum pump that evacuates the air in the headpiece to jam the coffee grounds together, forming a rigid layer. Prior to surgery, a video scanner registers the location of the reflective dots--which serve as fiducial markers--relative to key features on the patient’s head.

During the surgery itself, an overhead camera observes the position of the dots, allowing the surgical navigation system to accurately track the position of the patient’s head even when the surgeon moves and repositions it. The computer uses this information to combine a computerized tomography (CT) scan, which provides a detailed three-dimensional (3D) view of the bone and tissue with the position of the surgical instruments the surgeon is using, displaying them together in real time on a monitor in the operating room.

While current fiducial markers, usually attached by an elastic headband and double-backed tape, are subject to jarring and slipping, the granular jamming cap conforms to the patients head and locks firmly into place. In tests designed to determine how well the cap performed relative to current headbands, they found that the cap reduced targeting errors by 83%, improved resistance to external displacement forces by 76%, and reduced head repositioning error rates by 66%. The new tracking cap was presented at the International Conference on Information Processing in Computer-Assisted Interventions, held during June 2017 in Barcelona (Spain).

“It’s a very clever way that doesn’t involve drilling holes in patients’ skulls to greatly improve the accuracy of the guidance system when we are operating in the middle of a person’s skull: a zone where the accuracy of the current system is inadequate,” said associate professor of otolaryngology Paul Russell, MD, who is collaborating with the engineers on the project.

Related Links:
Vanderbilt University


Gold Member
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Sample-To-Answer Test
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Cartridge (CE-IVD)
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
New
Antimicrobial Mat
MULTIMAT
New
Drying Cabinet
Scope Drying Cabinet
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to HospiMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Hospital Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of HospiMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of HospiMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of HospiMedica International in digital format
  • Free HospiMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: New clinical guidance suggests treatments to prevent blood clots in CLTI patients after leg artery procedures (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Stronger Blood Clot Prevention Measures Needed After Leg Artery Procedures in High-Risk Patients

Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), the most severe form of peripheral artery disease (PAD), significantly reduces blood flow to the legs and feet. Despite undergoing lower limb revascularization... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The revolutionary automatic IV-Line flushing device set for launch in the EU and US in 2026 (Photo courtesy of Droplet IV)

Revolutionary Automatic IV-Line Flushing Device to Enhance Infusion Care

More than 80% of in-hospital patients receive intravenous (IV) therapy. Every dose of IV medicine delivered in a small volume (<250 mL) infusion bag should be followed by subsequent flushing to ensure... Read more

Business

view channel
Image: A research collaboration aims to further advance findings in human genomics research in cardiovascular diseases (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Bayer and Broad Institute Extend Research Collaboration to Develop New Cardiovascular Therapies

A research collaboration will focus on the joint discovery of novel therapeutic approaches based on findings in human genomics research related to cardiovascular diseases. Bayer (Berlin, Germany) and... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.