Relation between plaque type, plaque thickness, blood shear stress, and plaque stress in coronary arteries assessed by X-ray Angiography and Intravascular Ultrasound

Purpose: Atheromatic plaque progression is affected, among others phenomena, by biomechanical, biochemical, and physiological factors. In this paper, the authors introduce a novel framework able to provide both morphological (vessel radius, plaque thickness, and type) and biomechanical (wall shear stress and Von Mises stress) indices of coronary arteries. Methods: First, the approach reconstructs the three-dimensional morphology of the vessel from intravascular ultrasound(IVUS) and Angiographic sequences, requiring minimal user interaction. Then, a computational pipeline allows to automatically assess fluid-dynamic and mechanical indices. Ten coronary arteries are analyzed illustrating the capabilities of the tool and confirming previous technical and clinical observations. Results: The relations between the arterial indices obtained by IVUS measurement and simulations have been quantitatively analyzed along the whole surface of the artery, extending the analysis of the coronary arteries shown in previous state of the art studies. Additionally, for the first time in the literature, the framework allows the computation of the membrane stresses using a simplified mechanical model of the arterial wall. Conclusions: Circumferentially (within a given frame), statistical analysis shows an inverse relation between the wall shear stress and the plaque thickness. At the global level (comparing a frame within the entire vessel), it is observed that heavy plaque accumulations are in general calcified and are located in the areas of the vessel having high wall shear stress. Finally, in their experiments the inverse proportionality between fluid and structural stresses is observed

In-vivo Measurement of Wrist Movements During the Dart-Throwing Motion Using Inertial Measurement Units

Background: This study investigates the dart-throwing motion (DTM) by comparing an inertial measurement unit-based system previously validated for basic motion tasks with an optoelectronic motion capture system. The DTM is interesting as wrist movement during many activities of daily living occur in this movement plane, but the complex movement is difficult to assess clinically. Methods: Ten healthy subjects were recorded while performing the DTM with their right wrist using inertial sensors and skin markers. Maximum range of motion obtained by the different systems and the mean absolute difference were calculated. Results: In the flexion-extension plane, both systems calculated a range of motion of 100◦ with mean absolute differences of 8◦ , while in the radial-ulnar deviation plane, a mean absolute difference of 17◦ and range of motion values of 48◦ for the optoelectronic system and 59◦ for the inertial measurement units were found. Conclusions: This study shows the challenge of comparing results of different kinematic motion capture systems for complex movements while also highlighting inertial measurement units as promising for future clinical application in dynamic and coupled wrist movements. Possible sources of error and solutions are discusse

Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Using Deep Learning

Artificial intelligence, deep learning, big data, self-driving cars, these are words that have become familiar to most people and have captured the imagination of the public and have brought hopes as well as fears. We have been told that artificial intelligence will be a major part of our lives, and almost all of us witness this when decisions made by algorithms show us commercial advertisements that specifically target our interests while using the web. In this paper, the conversation around artificial intelligence focuses on a particular application, agricultural machinery, but offers enough content so that the reader can have a very good idea on how to consider this technology for not only other agricultural applications such as sorting and grading produce, but also other areas in which this technology can be a part of a system that includes sensors, hardware and software that can make accurate decisions. Narrowing the application and also focusing on one specific artificial intelligence approach, that of deep learning, allow us to illustrate from start to end the steps that are usually considered and elaborate on recent developments on artificial intelligence

Non-rigid alignment pipeline applied to human gait signals acquired with optical motion capture systems and inertial sensors

An accurate gait characterization is fundamental for diagnosis and treatment in both clinical and sportive fields. Although several devices allow such measurements, the performance comparison between the acquired signals may be a challenging task. A novel pipeline for the accurate non-rigid alignment of gait signals is proposed. In this paper, the measurements of Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) and Optical Motion Capture Systems (OMCAP) are aligned using a modified version of the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) algorithm. The differences between the two acquisitions are evaluated using both global (RMSE, Correlation Coefficient (CC)) and local (Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM)) metrics. The method is applied to a data-set obtained measuring the gait of ten healthy subjects walking on a treadmill at three different gait paces. Results show a global bias between the signal acquisition of 0.05°. Regarding the global metrics, a mean RMSE value of 2.65° (0.73°) and an average CC value of 0.99 (0.01) were obtained. The SPM profile shows, in each gait cycle phase, the percentage of cases when two curves are statistically identical and reaches an average of 48% (22%)

Progressive Attenuation of the Longitudinal Kinetics in the Common Carotid Artery: Preliminary in Vivo Assessment

Longitudinal kinetics (LOKI) of the arterial wall consists of the shearing motion of the intima-media complex over the adventitia layer in the direction parallel to the blood flow during the cardiac cycle. The aim of this study was to investigate the local variability of LOKI amplitude along the length of the vessel. By use of a previously validated motion-estimation framework, 35 in vivo longitudinal B-mode ultrasound cine loops of healthy common carotid arteries were analyzed. Results indicated that LOKI amplitude is progressively attenuated along the length of the artery, as it is larger in regions located on the proximal side of the image (i.e., toward the heart) and smaller in regions located on the distal side of the image (i.e., toward the head), with an average attenuation coefficient of −2.5 ± 2.0%/mm. Reported for the first time in this study, this phenomenon is likely to be of great importance in improving understanding of atherosclerosis mechanisms, and has the potential to be a novel index of arterial stiffness

Comparison of a New Inertial Sensor Based System with an Optoelectronic Motion Capture System for Motion Analysis of Healthy Human Wrist Joints

This study aims to compare a new inertial measurement unit based system with the highly accurate but complex laboratory gold standard, an optoelectronic motion capture system. Inertial measurement units are sensors based on accelerometers, gyroscopes, and/or magnetometers. Ten healthy subjects were recorded while performing flexion-extension and radial-ulnar deviation movements of their right wrist using inertial sensors and skin markers. Maximum range of motion during these trials and mean absolute difference between the systems were calculated. A difference of 10° ± 5° for flexion-extension and 2° ± 1° for radial-ulnar deviation was found between the two systems with absolute range of motion values of 126° and 50° in the respective axes. A Wilcoxon rank sum test resulted in a no statistical differences between the systems with p-values of 0.24 and 0.62. The observed results are even more precise than reports from previous studies, where differences between 14° and 27° for flexion-extension and differences between 6° and 17° for radial-ulnar deviation were found. Effortless and fast applicability, good precision, and low inter-observer variability make inertial measurement unit based systems applicable to clinical settings

Comparison of a New Inertial Sensor Based System with an Optoelectronic Motion Capture System for Motion Analysis of Healthy Human Wrist Joints

This study aims to compare a new inertial measurement unit based system with the highly accurate but complex laboratory gold standard, an optoelectronic motion capture system. Inertial measurement units are sensors based on accelerometers, gyroscopes, and/or magnetometers. Ten healthy subjects were recorded while performing flexion-extension and radial-ulnar deviation movements of their right wrist using inertial sensors and skin markers. Maximum range of motion during these trials and mean absolute difference between the systems were calculated. A difference of 10° ± 5° for flexion-extension and 2° ± 1° for radial-ulnar deviation was found between the two systems with absolute range of motion values of 126° and 50° in the respective axes. A Wilcoxon rank sum test resulted in a no statistical differences between the systems with p-values of 0.24 and 0.62. The observed results are even more precise than reports from previous studies, where differences between 14° and 27° for flexion-extension and differences between 6° and 17° for radial-ulnar deviation were found. Effortless and fast applicability, good precision, and low inter-observer variability make inertial measurement unit based systems applicable to clinical settings

Acute thrombosis induced by drug-coated balloons dilation in neoatherosclerosis plaque, successfully treated with a MicroNet-covered stent: A Case Report and Literature Review

Preprint enviat per a la seva publicació en una revista científica: Journal of Endovascular Therapy Case Report (ISSN: 1526-6028, 1545-1550)Background The operator's ability in performing carotid stenting (CAS) has improved clinical outcomes. However, more than 3% of patients need to be treated again after CAS. Most of the cases requiring further intervention are affected by hyperplasia. The recommended procedure is the DEBalloon. On the other hand, the literature reports a small number of carotid neoatherosclerosis cases and is recommended to be treated using elective Micronet-covered stent. Discriminating between the two types of in-stent-restenosis ISR (hyperplasia or neoatherosclerosis) is critical for a positive outcome. Case summary We describe a case in which a patient treated with carotid stenting 8 years before, was diagnosed with ISR. Due to the development of neurological symptoms and progressive increases in Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV) eight years following carotid stenting, a DEBalloon was used in a carotid in-stent-restenosis (ISR) standard procedure. About ten minutes after the procedure, the patient developed hemiplegia consistent with the treated carotid territory. The implantation of a MicroNet-covered stent excluded the thrombus and reverted symptoms with a normal MR control at 24 h. Conclusion This case illustrates that when in-stent stenosis evolves years after the stent implantation, neoatherosclerosis should be assessed, and a MicroNet-covered stent should be considered

Assessment Of Intra-coronary Stent Location And Extension In Intravascular Ultrasound Sequences.

Purpose An intraluminal coronary stent is a metal scaffold deployed in a stenotic artery during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In order to have an effective deployment, a stent should be optimally placed with regard to anatomical structures such as bifurcations and stenoses. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a catheter-based imaging technique generally used for PCI guiding and assessing the correct placement of the stent. A novel approach that automatically detects the boundaries and the position of the stent along the IVUS pullback is presented. Such a technique aims at optimizing the stent deployment. Methods The method requires the identification of the stable frames of the sequence and the reliable detection of stent struts. Using these data, a measure of likelihood for a frame to contain a stent is computed. Then, a robust binary representation of the presence of the stent in the pullback is obtained applying an iterative and multiscale quantization of the signal to symbols using the Symbolic Aggregate approXimation algorithm. Results The technique was extensively validated on a set of 103 IVUS of sequences of in vivo coronary arteries containing metallic and bioabsorbable stents acquired through an international multicentric collaboration across five clinical centers. The method was able to detect the stent position with an overall F-measure of 86.4%, a Jaccard index score of 75% and a mean distance of 2.5 mm from manually annotated stent boundaries, and in bioabsorbable stents with an overall F-measure of 88.6%, a Jaccard score of 77.7 and a mean distance of 1.5 mm from manually annotated stent boundaries. Additionally, a map indicating the distance between the lumen and the stent along the pullback is created in order to show the angular sectors of the sequence in which the malapposition is present. Conclusions Results obtained comparing the automatic results vs the manual annotation of two observers shows that the method approaches the interobserver variability. Similar performances are obtained on both metallic and bioabsorbable stents, showing the flexibility and robustness of the method