Supporting the TECAB Grafting through CT Based Analysis of Coronary Arteries

Calcified coronary arteries can cause severe cardiac problems and may provoke an infarction of the heart's wall. An established treatment method is the bypass operation. The usage of a telemanipulation system allows for the execution of that operation as a totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) grafting. This relatively new method narrows the surgeon's view and does not permit the palpation of the vessel in order to detect calcifications (hard plaques)

Videocirurgia colorretal com assistência robótica: o próximo passo? Robotic assisted colorrectal surgery

O desenvolvimento de técnicas minimamente invasivas é um dos mais importantes avanços da cirurgia colorretal. A assistência robótica integra o arsenal de técnicas em cirurgia minimamente invasiva, e vem sendo aplicado em cirurgia colorretal por um restrito grupo de cirurgiões em alguns centros ao redor do mundo com resultados iniciais que merecem atenção. O objetivo do presente estudo é analisar os resultados do emprego da assistência robótica em videocirurgia colorretal. Dentre as vantagens associadas ao emprego de robôs em videocirurgia colorretal, figuram o incremento na precisão dos movimentos e a visão tridimensional. A experiência clínica é ainda pequena, e advém de uma série de casos e estudos comparativos com a videocirurgia colorretal sem assistência robótica com ainda pequeno número de casos. A dissecção pélvica com incremento da preservação autonômica parece ser a maior vantagem associada à assistência robótica em videocirurgia colorretal. Somente através do treinamento de um número mais representativo de cirurgiões colorretais, bem como com a expansão da experiência clínica será possível prever com maior precisão o papel da assistência robótica em videocirurgia colorretal.<br>The development of minimally invasive surgical techniques represents an important aspect of modern surgical research. Robot-assisted minimally invasive colorectal surgery represents a way of assisting laparoscopic colorectal procedures. Robotic technology overcomes some of these limitations by successfully providing intuitive motion and enhanced precision and accuracy, in an environment that is much more ergonomic. A restrict number of surgeons in specialized centers around the world have been applying robotics. In this review, current evidence about different technologies and its place in colorectal surgery is evaluated. The feasibility of performing robot-assisted colorectal operations has been demonstrated though case series and small case-controlled trials. The potential for enhancing autonomic nerve preservation during proctectomy may be the most remarkable advantage associated to robotic assistance during laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Colorectal surgeons should seize the opportunity to begin to use surgical robotic systems. Only through widespread surgeon training and increasing clinical experience with these systems, further technological developments, and continuous research, robotic technology will be routinely incorporated into surgical procedures on the colon and rectum

An Architecture for Autonomy

International audienceAn autonomous robot offers a challenging and ideal field for the study of intelligent architectures. Autonomy within a rational behavior could be evaluated by the robot's effectiveness and robustness in carrying out tasks in different and ill-known environments_ It raises major requirements on the control architecture. Furthermore, a robot as a programmable machine brings up other architectural needs, such as the ease and quality of its speci_cation and programming. This paper describes an integrated architecture allowing a mobile robot to plan its tasks, taking into account temporal and domain constraints, to perform corresponding actions and to control their execution in real_time, while being reactive to possible events. The general architecture is composed of three levels : a decision level, an execution level and a functional level. The later is composed of modules that embed the functions achieving sensor data processing and effector control. The decision level is goal and event driven, it may have several layers, according to the application ; their basic structure is a planner/supervisor pair that enables to integrate deliberation and reaction. The proposed architecture relies naturally on several representations, programming paradigms and processing approaches meeting the precise requirements specified for each level. We developed proper tools to meet these specifications and implement each level of the architecture : IxTeT a temporal planner, PRS a procedural system for task refinement and supervision, Kheops for the reactive control of the functional level, and GenoM for the specification and integration of modules at that level. Validation of temporal and logical properties of the reactive parts of the system, through these tools, are presented. Instances of the proposed architecture have been already integrated into several indoor and outdoor robots. Examples from real world experimentations are provided and analyzed