Early experiences of planning stereotactic radiosurgery using 3D printed models of eyes with uveal melanomas

Alena Furdová,1 Miron Sramka,2 Andrej Thurzo,3 Adriana Furdová3 1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 2Department of Stereotactic Radiosurgery, St Elisabeth Cancer Inst and St Elisabeth University College of Health and Social Work, 3Department of Simulation and Virtual Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the use of 3D printed model of an eye with intraocular tumor for linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery.Methods: The software for segmentation (3D Slicer) created virtual 3D model of eye globe with tumorous mass based on tissue density from computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging data. A virtual model was then processed in the slicing software (Simplify3D®) and printed on 3D printer using fused deposition modeling technology. The material that was used for printing was polylactic acid.Results: In 2015, stereotactic planning scheme was optimized with the help of 3D printed model of the patient’s eye with intraocular tumor. In the period 2001–2015, a group of 150 patients with uveal melanoma (139 choroidal melanoma and 11 ciliary body melanoma) were treated. The median tumor volume was 0.5 cm3 (0.2–1.6 cm3). The radiation dose was 35.0 Gy by 99% of dose volume histogram.Conclusion: The 3D printed model of eye with tumor was helpful in planning the process to achieve the optimal scheme for irradiation which requires high accuracy of defining the targeted tumor mass and critical structures. Keywords: 3D printing, uveal melanoma, stereotactic radiosurgery, linear accelerator, intraocular tumor, stereotactic planning schem

Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Rehabilitation of Post-Covid-19 Syndrome [Aplikácia umelej inteligencie na rehabilitáciu pre post-COVID-19 syndróm]

Introduction: The aim of this research was to investigate the possible consequences of COVID-19 on musculoskeletal, nervous system and psychological experience. Methods: Recent research has shown that patients’ risks related to severe COVID-19 disease vary depending on age, underlying comorbidities, and medical history. We performed a detailed selection of papers describing post-COVID-19 syndrome, which affects musculoskeletal, nervous system, and psychological conditions. Results: We summarized a possible rehabilitation process using traditional rehabilitation, telerehabilitation, and virtual reality for rehabilitation using online programs that promote mental health. The use of a combined method of rehabilitation with ozone therapy brings about new perspectives for pre-pandemic prevention and post-pandemic treatment. Conclusion: We have shown the direction of further research: monitoring and evaluating post-COVID-19 syndrome patients using artificial intelligence to design their optimal rehabilitation. © 2021. All Rights Reserved

Subcortical nuclei volumetry in idiopathic generalized epilepsy

PURPOSE: The exact anatomic and neurophysiologic correlates of idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) in humans are still not well understood, although the thalamus has frequently been invoked as the crucial structure in the generation of primary generalized seizures. The few in vivo magnetic resonance (MR)-based studies in IGE patients suggest an altered cortical/subcortical gray matter ratio, but with no evidence of structural alterations of the thalamus. In this study, we sought to determine the volumes of the other subcortical structures. METHODS: The volumes of the caudate nucleus, putamen, pallidum as well as the thalamus were each determined in both hemispheres in 11 patients with various IGE syndromes, normalized for whole-brain volumes and then compared with 15 age-matched controls. RESULTS: No differences were noted in thalamic volumes, confirming previous reports. However, smaller subcortical volumes were noted in the IGE patients (p < 0.009), mainly due to smaller putamen bilaterally (p < or = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: It is speculated that the presence of discrete frontal dysfunction, as noted in neuropsychological studies in IGE patients, indirectly supports our results because the putamen projects predominantly to the frontal cortex. Larger studies with more homogeneous patient populations are needed to determine the robustness of these findings and whether they are specific for particular IGE syndromes

Temporal Excitation Patterns on the Cerebral Cortex as a Result of Migraine Modeling

The complex, highly individual, geometry of the cerebral cortex in humans presents a major challenge in studying the spreading of spontaneous neuronal activity. Recent computational advances [1] allow to simulate the propagation of depolarization waves on the macroscale and for individual geometries, reconstructed from accurate medical imaging as MRI, with high levels of detail. In this paper we take advantage of such technique to study the temporal excitation patterns that follow the passage of a depolarization wave on the cerebral cortex