Basic Science to Clinical Research: Segmentation of Ultrasound and Modelling in Clinical Informatics

The world of basic science is a world of minutia; it boils down to improving even a fraction of a percent over the baseline standard. It is a domain of peer reviewed fractions of seconds and the world of squeezing every last ounce of efficiency from a processor, a storage medium, or an algorithm. The field of health data is based on extracting knowledge from segments of data that may improve some clinical process or practice guideline to improve the time and quality of care. Clinical informatics and knowledge translation provide this information in order to reveal insights to the world of improving patient treatments, regimens, and overall outcomes. In my world of minutia, or basic science, the movement of blood served an integral role. The novel detection of sound reverberations map out the landscape for my research. I have applied my algorithms to the various anatomical structures of the heart and artery system. This serves as a basis for segmentation, active contouring, and shape priors. The algorithms presented, leverage novel applications in segmentation by using anatomical features of the heart for shape priors and the integration of optical flow models to improve tracking. The presented techniques show improvements over traditional methods in the estimation of left ventricular size and function, along with plaque estimation in the carotid artery. In my clinical world of data understanding, I have endeavoured to decipher trends in Alzheimer’s disease, Sepsis of hospital patients, and the burden of Melanoma using mathematical modelling methods. The use of decision trees, Markov models, and various clustering techniques provide insights into data sets that are otherwise hidden. Finally, I demonstrate how efficient data capture from providers can achieve rapid results and actionable information on patient medical records. This culminated in generating studies on the burden of illness and their associated costs. A selection of published works from my research in the world of basic sciences to clinical informatics has been included in this thesis to detail my transition. This is my journey from one contented realm to a turbulent one

Automated analysis of 3D echocardiography

In this thesis we aim at automating the analysis of 3D echocardiography, mainly targeting the functional analysis of the left ventricle. Manual analysis of these data is cumbersome, time-consuming and is associated with inter-observer and inter-institutional variability. Methods for reconstruction of 3D echocardiographic images from fast rotating ultrasound transducers is presented and methods for analysis of 3D echocardiography in general, using tracking, detection and model-based segmentation techniques to ultimately fully automatically segment the left ventricle for functional analysis. We show that reliable quantification of left ventricular volume and mitral valve displacement can be achieved using the presented techniques.SenterNovem (IOP Beeldverwerking, grant IBVC02003), Dutch Technology Foundation STW (grant 06666)UBL - phd migration 201

Análise de imagens de realidade aumentada utilizadas em procedimentos médicos : um estudo exploratório

Orientadora: Profª Carla Galvão SpinilloDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Parana, Setor de Ciencias Humanas, Letras e Artes, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Design. Defesa: Curitiba, 07/02/2012Bibliografia: fls. 212-215Resumo: Esta dissertação tem como principal objetivo identificar aspectos sintáticos, semânticos e pragmáticos de imagens de realidade aumentada utilizadas em procedimentos médicos, em caráter exploratório. Para tal, foram tratadas teorias referentes à realidade aumentada, à representação e percepção pictórica, assim como abordagens analíticas voltadas a variáveis gráficas de representação. Com base nisso, desenvolveu-se um conjunto de variáveis descritivas, a partir das quais se analisou imagens médicas de realidade aumentada. Foram também realizadas a validação das variáveis com especialistas em design da informação e entrevistas com um médico usuário e dois não usuários dessa tecnologia. Como resultados identificaram-se tendências nos aspectos sintáticos e semânticos da amostra, discutidos aspectos pragmáticos e apontadas questões para futuras investigações e para o aprimoramento das imagens médicas em Realidade Aumentada.Abstract: This work has as main objective to identify syntactic, semantic and pragmatic aspects of augmented reality images used in medical procedures, exploratory. For such theories were addressed regarding the augmented reality, representation and pictorial perception, as well as analytical approaches aimed at graphical representation variables. On this basis, was developed a set of descriptive variables, from which were analyzed medical images of augmented reality. Were also conducted the validation of the variables with experts in information design and interviews with a user physician end two non-users physicians of this technology. As results were identified trends in syntactic and semantic aspects of the sample, were discussed pragmatic aspects and pointed questions for future researches and for the improvement of medical imaging in Augmented Reality

Automated Analysis of 3D Stress Echocardiography

__Abstract__ The human circulatory system consists of the heart, blood, arteries, veins and capillaries. The heart is the muscular organ which pumps the blood through the human body (Fig. 1.1,1.2). Deoxygenated blood flows through the right atrium into the right ventricle, which pumps the blood into the pulmonary arteries. The blood is carried to the lungs, where it passes through a capillary network that enables the release of carbon dioxide and the uptake of oxygen. Oxygenated blood then returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins and flows from the left atrium into the left ventricle. The left ventricle then pumps the blood through the aorta, the major artery which supplies blood to the rest of the body [Drake et a!., 2005; Guyton and Halt 1996]. Therefore, it is vital that the cardiovascular system remains healthy. Disease of the cardiovascular system, if untreated, ultimately leads to the failure of other organs and death