Elkind, Emese; Tun, Aung Tin; Learned, Noah; Mccauley, Cole; Windover, Lauren; Gammage, Alina; Wisener, Kyla; Wolkoff, Max; Davison, Colleen; Purkey, Eva; Fichtinger, Gabor; Thornton, Kanchana
INOVAIT Image-Guided Therapy (IGT) x Imaging Network Ontario (ImNO), 2025.
@conference{Elkind2025c,
title = {Bridging the Gap with Customizable Above-Elbow Prosthetic Designs to Balance Open-Source Models and Patient-Specific Needs},
author = {Emese Elkind and Aung Tin Tun and Noah Learned and Cole Mccauley and Lauren Windover and Alina Gammage and Kyla Wisener and Max Wolkoff and Colleen Davison and Eva Purkey and Gabor Fichtinger and Kanchana Thornton},
url = {undefined},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-03-05},
urldate = {2025-03-04},
publisher = {INOVAIT Image-Guided Therapy (IGT) x Imaging Network Ontario (ImNO)},
abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Myanmar’s healthcare system, strained further by the 2021 military coup and civil war, has led millions of refugees to Thailand seeking medical aid [1]. Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), based in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand funds these Burmese communities’, who are unable to receive medical treatment by providing support services, including prosthetics for refugees [2]. BCMF makes prosthetics for low-resource settings using open-source designs. The usage of prosthetic arms depends heavily on their functionality and comfort, as patients are more likely to use prosthetics if it restores normalcy. The staff at BCMF have limited Computer Aided Design (CAD) experience so Queen’s Biomedical Innovation Team (QBiT) at Queen’s University has started a prosthetic project to support them. The student-led biomedical engineering design team modifies open-sourced designs to tailor them to patient needs. Specifically, we aim to add an above-elbow prosthetic to the existing below-elbow prosthetics currently used by BCMF to produce an affordable and functional prosthetic.
METHODS: BCMF currently adapts Thingiverse designs, such as the below elbow Kwawu Arm 2.0 [3], which can be adjusted with OpenSCAD [4], a software for modifying models to fit the recipient. QBiT has modified the Kwawu arm and designed a shoulder piece and harness system to extend the below elbow prosthetic to fit above elbow amputees (fig.1). A polyester strap forms a harness and is secured with snap buttons so the patient can control the prosthetic by adjusting their shoulder to move the elbow joint and to operate the hand attachment (fig.2). The arm is undergoing an iterative testing process for durability and comfort with constant communication between the BCMF and QBiT. Patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the needs of each recipient. QBiT has developed a comprehensive manual, complete with detailed images, outlining the steps for setting up the harness to fit the patient's measurements.
RESULTS: Since 2019, BCMF has provided 76 3D-printed prosthetics. The new above elbow design eliminates electronic components, reducing complexity and cost while improving durability for Burmese climates and living conditions during the war, making it more accessible for a wider range of users. The prosthetic incorporates interchangeable end-effectors to adapt to the patients’ daily activities. The control wires connecting the harness to the dynamic prosthetic are routed internally, minimizing the risk of snagging. The final design will restore partial range of motion to the patient through the use of the prosthetic.
CONCLUSIONS: The BCMF prosthetics project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of the poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities. This collaboration demonstrates the potential for future partnerships between educational institutions and NGOs to address health care access disparities and empowers BCMF to expand their reach and improve access to low-cost, body-powered prosthetic solutions for a growing number of patients in need. Future work includes continuing to fill the gap between open-sourced models and patient-specific needs to refine the 3D-printing workflow by creating customizable, generalized designs.
REFERENCES: [1] UN. Overview of Myanmar nationals in Thailand. IOM UN migration. https://thailand.iom.int/resources/overview-myanmar-nationals-thailand-april-2024[2] Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. (n.d.). https://burmachildren.com/ [3] Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281 [4] OpenSCAD. The Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller. (n.d.). https://openscad.org/},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
INTRODUCTION: Myanmar’s healthcare system, strained further by the 2021 military coup and civil war, has led millions of refugees to Thailand seeking medical aid [1]. Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), based in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand funds these Burmese communities’, who are unable to receive medical treatment by providing support services, including prosthetics for refugees [2]. BCMF makes prosthetics for low-resource settings using open-source designs. The usage of prosthetic arms depends heavily on their functionality and comfort, as patients are more likely to use prosthetics if it restores normalcy. The staff at BCMF have limited Computer Aided Design (CAD) experience so Queen’s Biomedical Innovation Team (QBiT) at Queen’s University has started a prosthetic project to support them. The student-led biomedical engineering design team modifies open-sourced designs to tailor them to patient needs. Specifically, we aim to add an above-elbow prosthetic to the existing below-elbow prosthetics currently used by BCMF to produce an affordable and functional prosthetic.
METHODS: BCMF currently adapts Thingiverse designs, such as the below elbow Kwawu Arm 2.0 [3], which can be adjusted with OpenSCAD [4], a software for modifying models to fit the recipient. QBiT has modified the Kwawu arm and designed a shoulder piece and harness system to extend the below elbow prosthetic to fit above elbow amputees (fig.1). A polyester strap forms a harness and is secured with snap buttons so the patient can control the prosthetic by adjusting their shoulder to move the elbow joint and to operate the hand attachment (fig.2). The arm is undergoing an iterative testing process for durability and comfort with constant communication between the BCMF and QBiT. Patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the needs of each recipient. QBiT has developed a comprehensive manual, complete with detailed images, outlining the steps for setting up the harness to fit the patient's measurements.
RESULTS: Since 2019, BCMF has provided 76 3D-printed prosthetics. The new above elbow design eliminates electronic components, reducing complexity and cost while improving durability for Burmese climates and living conditions during the war, making it more accessible for a wider range of users. The prosthetic incorporates interchangeable end-effectors to adapt to the patients’ daily activities. The control wires connecting the harness to the dynamic prosthetic are routed internally, minimizing the risk of snagging. The final design will restore partial range of motion to the patient through the use of the prosthetic.
CONCLUSIONS: The BCMF prosthetics project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of the poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities. This collaboration demonstrates the potential for future partnerships between educational institutions and NGOs to address health care access disparities and empowers BCMF to expand their reach and improve access to low-cost, body-powered prosthetic solutions for a growing number of patients in need. Future work includes continuing to fill the gap between open-sourced models and patient-specific needs to refine the 3D-printing workflow by creating customizable, generalized designs.
REFERENCES: [1] UN. Overview of Myanmar nationals in Thailand. IOM UN migration. https://thailand.iom.int/resources/overview-myanmar-nationals-thailand-april-2024[2] Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. (n.d.). https://burmachildren.com/ [3] Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281 [4] OpenSCAD. The Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller. (n.d.). https://openscad.org/
METHODS: BCMF currently adapts Thingiverse designs, such as the below elbow Kwawu Arm 2.0 [3], which can be adjusted with OpenSCAD [4], a software for modifying models to fit the recipient. QBiT has modified the Kwawu arm and designed a shoulder piece and harness system to extend the below elbow prosthetic to fit above elbow amputees (fig.1). A polyester strap forms a harness and is secured with snap buttons so the patient can control the prosthetic by adjusting their shoulder to move the elbow joint and to operate the hand attachment (fig.2). The arm is undergoing an iterative testing process for durability and comfort with constant communication between the BCMF and QBiT. Patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the needs of each recipient. QBiT has developed a comprehensive manual, complete with detailed images, outlining the steps for setting up the harness to fit the patient's measurements.
RESULTS: Since 2019, BCMF has provided 76 3D-printed prosthetics. The new above elbow design eliminates electronic components, reducing complexity and cost while improving durability for Burmese climates and living conditions during the war, making it more accessible for a wider range of users. The prosthetic incorporates interchangeable end-effectors to adapt to the patients’ daily activities. The control wires connecting the harness to the dynamic prosthetic are routed internally, minimizing the risk of snagging. The final design will restore partial range of motion to the patient through the use of the prosthetic.
CONCLUSIONS: The BCMF prosthetics project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of the poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities. This collaboration demonstrates the potential for future partnerships between educational institutions and NGOs to address health care access disparities and empowers BCMF to expand their reach and improve access to low-cost, body-powered prosthetic solutions for a growing number of patients in need. Future work includes continuing to fill the gap between open-sourced models and patient-specific needs to refine the 3D-printing workflow by creating customizable, generalized designs.
REFERENCES: [1] UN. Overview of Myanmar nationals in Thailand. IOM UN migration. https://thailand.iom.int/resources/overview-myanmar-nationals-thailand-april-2024[2] Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. (n.d.). https://burmachildren.com/ [3] Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281 [4] OpenSCAD. The Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller. (n.d.). https://openscad.org/
Elkind, Emese; Tun, Aung Tin; Radcliffe, Olivia; Connolly, Laura; Davison, Colleen; Purkey, Eva; Mousavi, Parvin; Fichtinger, Gabor; Thornton, Kanchana
INOVAIT Image-Guided Therapy (IGT) x Imaging Network Ontario (ImNO), 2025.
@conference{Elkind2025b,
title = {Developing low-cost 3D-printed prosthetics with a functional wrist for patients along the Thai-Myanmar border},
author = {Emese Elkind and Aung Tin Tun and Olivia Radcliffe and Laura Connolly and Colleen Davison and Eva Purkey and Parvin Mousavi and Gabor Fichtinger and Kanchana Thornton
},
url = {undefined},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-03-05},
urldate = {2025-03-05},
publisher = {INOVAIT Image-Guided Therapy (IGT) x Imaging Network Ontario (ImNO)},
abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Inadequacies in the Burmese healthcare system, heightened by the 2021 military coup and related civil war in Myanmar and the COVID-19 pandemic, have contributed to an influx of refugees to Thailand to seek medical aid. An estimated 1.5 million Myanmar nationals entered Thailand since January 2023 [5]. Without immigration status, these refugees are unable to receive healthcare. Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) is a nonprofit based in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand that focuses on funding underserved Burmese communities’ medical treatment and providing support services, including accessible prosthetics for refugees who have experienced limb loss [1]. Prosthetics in lower-income countries are usually passive, meaning they lack mechanisms to restore critical limb functions such as gripping, rotation, or complex hand movements. Therefore, patients cannot fully perform their daily functions, impacting their abilities to work and affecting family caretakers. BCMF aims to make prosthetics that work best in low-resource settings using open-source designs, which only allow for fixed hand positions. The usage of prosthetic arms depends heavily on their functionality and comfort. Patients are more likely to consistently use prosthetics if it aids them in returning to normalcy. In this study, we present a design for an interchangeable and functional prosthetic wrist that enables critical hand motions such as rotation.
METHODS: BCMF currently provides custom-fitted, low-cost, 3D-printed prostheses that are found on Thingiverse, a public library of 3D designs. One such design is the Kwawu Arm 2.0 [2], which can be adjusted with OpenSCAD [4], a software for modifying 3D CAD models to fit the recipient's measurements. To maintain BCMF’s workflow, the interchangeable wrist model was created using the 3D design software, Autodesk Fusion 360, and designs from open sourced Quick-Connect Wrist designs found on Thingiverse [3]. The wrist was merged onto the Kwawu Arm, printed, assembled, and tested for durability and comfort both with and without patients. This is an iterative process where patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the diverse needs of the recipients.
RESULTS: Since the launch of the prosthetics project in 2019, BCMF has provided 3D-printed prosthetics to 76 patients. The interchangeable hand provides a solution to many patients' everyday activities and can rotate the hand 360 degrees (Fig.2) and has been tested on and used by one patient thus far (Fig.1).
CONCLUSIONS: The BCMF prosthetics project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities. The collaboration between BCMF and Queen’s University demonstrates the potential for future partnerships between educational institutions and NGOs to address health care access disparities. Future work includes continuing to fill the gap between open-sourced models and patient-specific needs to refine the 3D-printing workflow by continuing to create customizable, generalized designs. We also plan to test the interchangeable wrist with more patients and develop body-powered prosthetic designs to support more critical movements.
REFERENCES: [1]Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. (n.d.). https://burmachildren.com/ [2]Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281 [3]NIOP. (2022, February 9). NIOP Q-C V1 quick-connect wrist. Thingiverse. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5238794 [4]OpenSCAD. The Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller. (n.d.). https://openscad.org/ [5]UN. Overview of Myanmar nationals in Thailand. IOM UN migration. https://thailand.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1371/files/documents/2024-10/overview-of-myanmar-nationals-in-thailand-october-24.pdf
},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
INTRODUCTION: Inadequacies in the Burmese healthcare system, heightened by the 2021 military coup and related civil war in Myanmar and the COVID-19 pandemic, have contributed to an influx of refugees to Thailand to seek medical aid. An estimated 1.5 million Myanmar nationals entered Thailand since January 2023 [5]. Without immigration status, these refugees are unable to receive healthcare. Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) is a nonprofit based in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand that focuses on funding underserved Burmese communities’ medical treatment and providing support services, including accessible prosthetics for refugees who have experienced limb loss [1]. Prosthetics in lower-income countries are usually passive, meaning they lack mechanisms to restore critical limb functions such as gripping, rotation, or complex hand movements. Therefore, patients cannot fully perform their daily functions, impacting their abilities to work and affecting family caretakers. BCMF aims to make prosthetics that work best in low-resource settings using open-source designs, which only allow for fixed hand positions. The usage of prosthetic arms depends heavily on their functionality and comfort. Patients are more likely to consistently use prosthetics if it aids them in returning to normalcy. In this study, we present a design for an interchangeable and functional prosthetic wrist that enables critical hand motions such as rotation.
METHODS: BCMF currently provides custom-fitted, low-cost, 3D-printed prostheses that are found on Thingiverse, a public library of 3D designs. One such design is the Kwawu Arm 2.0 [2], which can be adjusted with OpenSCAD [4], a software for modifying 3D CAD models to fit the recipient's measurements. To maintain BCMF’s workflow, the interchangeable wrist model was created using the 3D design software, Autodesk Fusion 360, and designs from open sourced Quick-Connect Wrist designs found on Thingiverse [3]. The wrist was merged onto the Kwawu Arm, printed, assembled, and tested for durability and comfort both with and without patients. This is an iterative process where patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the diverse needs of the recipients.
RESULTS: Since the launch of the prosthetics project in 2019, BCMF has provided 3D-printed prosthetics to 76 patients. The interchangeable hand provides a solution to many patients' everyday activities and can rotate the hand 360 degrees (Fig.2) and has been tested on and used by one patient thus far (Fig.1).
CONCLUSIONS: The BCMF prosthetics project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities. The collaboration between BCMF and Queen’s University demonstrates the potential for future partnerships between educational institutions and NGOs to address health care access disparities. Future work includes continuing to fill the gap between open-sourced models and patient-specific needs to refine the 3D-printing workflow by continuing to create customizable, generalized designs. We also plan to test the interchangeable wrist with more patients and develop body-powered prosthetic designs to support more critical movements.
REFERENCES: [1]Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. (n.d.). https://burmachildren.com/ [2]Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281 [3]NIOP. (2022, February 9). NIOP Q-C V1 quick-connect wrist. Thingiverse. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5238794 [4]OpenSCAD. The Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller. (n.d.). https://openscad.org/ [5]UN. Overview of Myanmar nationals in Thailand. IOM UN migration. https://thailand.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1371/files/documents/2024-10/overview-of-myanmar-nationals-in-thailand-october-24.pdf
METHODS: BCMF currently provides custom-fitted, low-cost, 3D-printed prostheses that are found on Thingiverse, a public library of 3D designs. One such design is the Kwawu Arm 2.0 [2], which can be adjusted with OpenSCAD [4], a software for modifying 3D CAD models to fit the recipient's measurements. To maintain BCMF’s workflow, the interchangeable wrist model was created using the 3D design software, Autodesk Fusion 360, and designs from open sourced Quick-Connect Wrist designs found on Thingiverse [3]. The wrist was merged onto the Kwawu Arm, printed, assembled, and tested for durability and comfort both with and without patients. This is an iterative process where patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the diverse needs of the recipients.
RESULTS: Since the launch of the prosthetics project in 2019, BCMF has provided 3D-printed prosthetics to 76 patients. The interchangeable hand provides a solution to many patients' everyday activities and can rotate the hand 360 degrees (Fig.2) and has been tested on and used by one patient thus far (Fig.1).
CONCLUSIONS: The BCMF prosthetics project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities. The collaboration between BCMF and Queen’s University demonstrates the potential for future partnerships between educational institutions and NGOs to address health care access disparities. Future work includes continuing to fill the gap between open-sourced models and patient-specific needs to refine the 3D-printing workflow by continuing to create customizable, generalized designs. We also plan to test the interchangeable wrist with more patients and develop body-powered prosthetic designs to support more critical movements.
REFERENCES: [1]Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. (n.d.). https://burmachildren.com/ [2]Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281 [3]NIOP. (2022, February 9). NIOP Q-C V1 quick-connect wrist. Thingiverse. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5238794 [4]OpenSCAD. The Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller. (n.d.). https://openscad.org/ [5]UN. Overview of Myanmar nationals in Thailand. IOM UN migration. https://thailand.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1371/files/documents/2024-10/overview-of-myanmar-nationals-in-thailand-october-24.pdf
Elkind, Emese; Radcliffe, Olivia; Tun, Aung Tin; Connolly, Laura; Davison, Colleen; Purkey, Eva; Fichtinger, Gabor; Thornton, Kanchana
Strengthening Low-cost Prosthetic Solutions in Thailand/Myanmar Through Academic Institution-NGO Collaboration Honorable Mention Conference
Health & Human Rights Conference, Queen's University School of Medicine, 2025.
@conference{Elkind2025,
title = {Strengthening Low-cost Prosthetic Solutions in Thailand/Myanmar Through Academic Institution-NGO Collaboration },
author = {Emese Elkind and Olivia Radcliffe and Aung Tin Tun and Laura Connolly and Colleen Davison and Eva Purkey and Gabor Fichtinger and Kanchana Thornton
},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-02-22},
urldate = {2025-02-22},
booktitle = {Health & Human Rights Conference},
publisher = {School of Medicine},
organization = {Queen's University},
abstract = {The ongoing civil war in Myanmar, along with the related coup in 2021, have displaced millions of refugees to Thailand, where many lack immigration status and cannot access medical care. The Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) [1] addresses these challenges by providing funding and support for medical treatment, including a 3D-printed prosthetics program initiated in 2019 for individuals with limb loss. Due to limited Computer-Aided Design (CAD) experience, BCMF staff have turned to open-source prosthetic designs. We aim to establish an academia-NGO partnership to strengthen BCMF’s efforts, provide technical support, and broaden outreach to underserved communities needing low-cost, body-powered prosthetic devices. Our collaboration includes Queen’s University volunteers traveling to BCMF’s workshop for on-ground support and continuing remote assistance. As BCMF utilizes open-source prosthetic designs from platforms such as Thingiverse [2], we wanted to maintain the 3D printing workflow while addressing gaps in open-source prosthetic offerings. We identified three critical needs: devices for short-below-elbow amputees, above-elbow amputees, and a detachable, rotatable wrist. In response, we modified BCMF’s most used prosthetic design to customize the model for these specific needs. We conducted iterative testing for durability and comfort, ensuring constant communication between staff and recipients, allowing patient feedback to guide our designs. Over the past two years, Queen’s University has sent two volunteers to BCMF, with another planned for this year. So far, five recipients use our short-below-elbow prosthetic design, and one has received a quick connect wrist. In addition, we are currently collaborating remotely on a new prosthetic design for above-elbow amputees. This partnership between Queen’s University and BCMF improves access to low-cost prosthetic solutions, expands BCMF’s recipient pool, and demonstrates the potential for future partnerships between educational institutions and NGOs to address disparities in healthcare access.
References
[1] Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. https://burmachildren.com/
[2] Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281 },
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
The ongoing civil war in Myanmar, along with the related coup in 2021, have displaced millions of refugees to Thailand, where many lack immigration status and cannot access medical care. The Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) [1] addresses these challenges by providing funding and support for medical treatment, including a 3D-printed prosthetics program initiated in 2019 for individuals with limb loss. Due to limited Computer-Aided Design (CAD) experience, BCMF staff have turned to open-source prosthetic designs. We aim to establish an academia-NGO partnership to strengthen BCMF’s efforts, provide technical support, and broaden outreach to underserved communities needing low-cost, body-powered prosthetic devices. Our collaboration includes Queen’s University volunteers traveling to BCMF’s workshop for on-ground support and continuing remote assistance. As BCMF utilizes open-source prosthetic designs from platforms such as Thingiverse [2], we wanted to maintain the 3D printing workflow while addressing gaps in open-source prosthetic offerings. We identified three critical needs: devices for short-below-elbow amputees, above-elbow amputees, and a detachable, rotatable wrist. In response, we modified BCMF’s most used prosthetic design to customize the model for these specific needs. We conducted iterative testing for durability and comfort, ensuring constant communication between staff and recipients, allowing patient feedback to guide our designs. Over the past two years, Queen’s University has sent two volunteers to BCMF, with another planned for this year. So far, five recipients use our short-below-elbow prosthetic design, and one has received a quick connect wrist. In addition, we are currently collaborating remotely on a new prosthetic design for above-elbow amputees. This partnership between Queen’s University and BCMF improves access to low-cost prosthetic solutions, expands BCMF’s recipient pool, and demonstrates the potential for future partnerships between educational institutions and NGOs to address disparities in healthcare access.
References
[1] Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. https://burmachildren.com/
[2] Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281
References
[1] Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand. BCMF | Burma Children Medical Fund - Mae Sot, Thailand - Operating to give people a future. https://burmachildren.com/
[2] Buchanan, J. (2018, March 27). Kwawu Arm 2.0 - Prosthetic - socket version. Thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841281
Jamzad, Amoon; Warren, Jade; Syeda, Ayesha; Kaufmann, Martin; Iaboni, Natasha; Nicol, Christopher; Rudan, John; Ren, Kevin; Hurlbut, David; Varma, Sonal; Fichtinger, Gabor; Mousavi, Parvin
MassVision: An open-source end-to-end platform for AI-driven mass spectrometry image analysis Journal Article
In: bioRxiv, pp. 2025.01. 29.635489, 2025.
@article{jamzad2025,
title = {MassVision: An open-source end-to-end platform for AI-driven mass spectrometry image analysis},
author = {Amoon Jamzad and Jade Warren and Ayesha Syeda and Martin Kaufmann and Natasha Iaboni and Christopher Nicol and John Rudan and Kevin Ren and David Hurlbut and Sonal Varma and Gabor Fichtinger and Parvin Mousavi},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {bioRxiv},
pages = {2025.01. 29.635489},
publisher = {Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory},
abstract = {Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) combines spatial and spectral data to reveal detailed molecular compositions within biological samples. Despite their immense potential, MSI workflows are hindered by the complexity and high dimensionality of the data, making their analysis computationally intensive and often requiring expertise in coding. Existing tools frequently lack the integration needed for seamless, scalable, and end-to-end workflows, forcing researchers to rely on local solutions or multiple platforms, hindering efficiency and accessibility. We introduce MassVision, a comprehensive software platform for MSI analysis. Built on the 3D Slicer ecosystem, MassVision integrates MSI-specific functionalities while addressing general user requirements for accessibility and usability. Its intuitive interface lowers barriers for researchers with varying levels of computational expertise, while its scalability supports high-throughput studies and multi-slide datasets. Key functionalities include visualization, co-localization, dataset curation, dataset merging, spectral and spatial preprocessing, AI model training, and AI deployment on full MSI data. We detail the workflow and functionalities of MassVision and demonstrate its effectiveness through different experimental use cases such as exploratory data analysis, ion identification, and tissue-type classification, on in-house and publicly available data from different MSI modalities. These use cases underscore the MassVision's ability to seamlessly integrate MSI data handling steps into a single platform, and highlight its potential to reveal new insights and structures when examining biological samples. By …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) combines spatial and spectral data to reveal detailed molecular compositions within biological samples. Despite their immense potential, MSI workflows are hindered by the complexity and high dimensionality of the data, making their analysis computationally intensive and often requiring expertise in coding. Existing tools frequently lack the integration needed for seamless, scalable, and end-to-end workflows, forcing researchers to rely on local solutions or multiple platforms, hindering efficiency and accessibility. We introduce MassVision, a comprehensive software platform for MSI analysis. Built on the 3D Slicer ecosystem, MassVision integrates MSI-specific functionalities while addressing general user requirements for accessibility and usability. Its intuitive interface lowers barriers for researchers with varying levels of computational expertise, while its scalability supports high-throughput studies and multi-slide datasets. Key functionalities include visualization, co-localization, dataset curation, dataset merging, spectral and spatial preprocessing, AI model training, and AI deployment on full MSI data. We detail the workflow and functionalities of MassVision and demonstrate its effectiveness through different experimental use cases such as exploratory data analysis, ion identification, and tissue-type classification, on in-house and publicly available data from different MSI modalities. These use cases underscore the MassVision's ability to seamlessly integrate MSI data handling steps into a single platform, and highlight its potential to reveal new insights and structures when examining biological samples. By …
Ordaz, Daniel Josué Guerra; Cordoba, Magdalena; Delisle, Éolie; Branes, Rocío; Nguyen, Sophie; Daghistani, Waiel Abdulaziz; Mozafarinia, Maryam; Cordoba, Carlos; Maher, Jessica; Dorling, Marisa; Haan, Kirk; Fahad, Danah; Moise, Alexander; Francis, Gizelle; Omar, Youssef; Grose, Elysia; Phillips, Timothy; D'Souza, Alexandra; Datta, Shaishav; Wanzel, Kyle; Bader, Retage Al; Affana, Clementine; Kumar, Ashish; Posel, Nancy; Fleiszer, David; Nguyen, Emily Lan-Vy; Patel, Prachikumari; Irfan, Ahmer; Aubrey, Jason; Coe, Taylor M; Muaddi, Hala; Bucur, Roxana; Rukavina, Nadia; Shwaartz, Chaya; Skaik, Khaled; Elmasry, Wassim; Haseltine, Devon; Bilson, Matthew; Moustafa, Mahmoud; Das, Amrit; Wagner, Maryam; Gomez-Garibello, Carlos; Driad, Cariane; Sonesaksith-Turcotte, Xavier; Sandman, Émilie; Huynh, Lily Trang; Jantchou, Prevost; Nault, Marie-Lyne; Ng, Jasmine; Dhaliwal, Jaskarn; Salim, Henna; Shakeel, Ayesha; Malik, Suffia; Chung, Wiley; Yang, Lucy; Al-Ani, Abdullah; Bondok, Mohamed; Chung, Helen; Gooi, Patrick; Sticca, Giancarlo; Petruccelli, Joseph; Dorion, Dominique; Omar, Yousef Abdelkhalek Saber; Hathi, Kalpesh; Philips, Timothy; Naidoo, Lalenthra; Yang, Xin Yu; Massé, Gabrielle; Tremblay, Jean-François; Vandenbroucke-Menu, Franck; Gervais, Mai-Kim; Letendre, Julien; Jeanmart, Hugues; Lacaille-Ranger, Ariane; Niazi, Farbod; Ahmed, Abrar; Patel, Zeel; Arfaie, Saman; Ma, Crystal; Mikerov, Gregory; Legler, Jack; Steinberg, Emily; Fadel, Elie; Murad, Liam; Biris, Julia; Desgagné, Charles; Colivas, Justine; Noyon, Brandon; Dubrowski, Adam; Patocskai, Érica; Kreutz, Jason; McPhalen, Donald; Temple-Oberle, Claire; Chopra, Sonaina; Dhanoa, Jasmin; Harley, Jason M; Acai, Anita; Keuhl, Amy; Ngo, Quang; Sherbino, Jonathan; Bassilious, Ereny; Bilgic, Elif; Pradhan, Anushka; Volfson, Emily; Tsang, Zackary; Mak, Megan; Hodaie, Mojgan; Peramakumar, Denesh; Hisey, Rebecca; Klosa, Elizabeth; Wong, Aden; Zaza, Farah; Fichtinger, Gabor; Zevin, Boris; Lisondra, James; Gao, Remi; Fung, Albert; Belaiche, Alicia; Piché, Johanie Victoria; Hocini, Adam; Belaiche, Myriam; McNaughton-Filion, Louise; Bouthillier, Constance; Cordoba, Tomas; McEwen, Charlotte; Jaffer, Iqbal; Amin, Faizan; Barsuk, Jeffrey; McGaghie, William; Sibbald, Matthew; Akuffo-Addo, Edgar; Dalson, Jaycie; Agyei, Kwame; Mohsen, Samiha; Yusuf, Safia; Juando-Prats, Clara; Simpson, Jory; Sohi, Gursharan; Giglio, Bianca; Davidovic, Vanja; Yilmaz, Recai; Albeloushi, Abdulmajeed; Alhantoobi, Mohamed; Uthamacumaran, Abicumaran; Lapointe, Jason; Alhaj, Ahmad; Saeedi, Rothaina; Tee, Trisha; Maestro, Rolando Del; Tran, Victoria
C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation: Canadian Conference for the Advancement of Surgical Education, Oct. 17-18, 2024, Toronto, Ontario Journal Article
In: Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie, vol. 68, no. 1suppl1, pp. S1-S13, 2025.
@article{ordaz2025b,
title = {C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation: Canadian Conference for the Advancement of Surgical Education, Oct. 17-18, 2024, Toronto, Ontario},
author = {Daniel Josué Guerra Ordaz and Magdalena Cordoba and Éolie Delisle and Rocío Branes and Sophie Nguyen and Waiel Abdulaziz Daghistani and Maryam Mozafarinia and Carlos Cordoba and Jessica Maher and Marisa Dorling and Kirk Haan and Danah Fahad and Alexander Moise and Gizelle Francis and Youssef Omar and Elysia Grose and Timothy Phillips and Alexandra D'Souza and Shaishav Datta and Kyle Wanzel and Retage Al Bader and Clementine Affana and Ashish Kumar and Nancy Posel and David Fleiszer and Emily Lan-Vy Nguyen and Prachikumari Patel and Ahmer Irfan and Jason Aubrey and Taylor M Coe and Hala Muaddi and Roxana Bucur and Nadia Rukavina and Chaya Shwaartz and Khaled Skaik and Wassim Elmasry and Devon Haseltine and Matthew Bilson and Mahmoud Moustafa and Amrit Das and Maryam Wagner and Carlos Gomez-Garibello and Cariane Driad and Xavier Sonesaksith-Turcotte and Émilie Sandman and Lily Trang Huynh and Prevost Jantchou and Marie-Lyne Nault and Jasmine Ng and Jaskarn Dhaliwal and Henna Salim and Ayesha Shakeel and Suffia Malik and Wiley Chung and Lucy Yang and Abdullah Al-Ani and Mohamed Bondok and Helen Chung and Patrick Gooi and Giancarlo Sticca and Joseph Petruccelli and Dominique Dorion and Yousef Abdelkhalek Saber Omar and Kalpesh Hathi and Timothy Philips and Lalenthra Naidoo and Xin Yu Yang and Gabrielle Massé and Jean-François Tremblay and Franck Vandenbroucke-Menu and Mai-Kim Gervais and Julien Letendre and Hugues Jeanmart and Ariane Lacaille-Ranger and Farbod Niazi and Abrar Ahmed and Zeel Patel and Saman Arfaie and Crystal Ma and Gregory Mikerov and Jack Legler and Emily Steinberg and Elie Fadel and Liam Murad and Julia Biris and Charles Desgagné and Justine Colivas and Brandon Noyon and Adam Dubrowski and Érica Patocskai and Jason Kreutz and Donald McPhalen and Claire Temple-Oberle and Sonaina Chopra and Jasmin Dhanoa and Jason M Harley and Anita Acai and Amy Keuhl and Quang Ngo and Jonathan Sherbino and Ereny Bassilious and Elif Bilgic and Anushka Pradhan and Emily Volfson and Zackary Tsang and Megan Mak and Mojgan Hodaie and Denesh Peramakumar and Rebecca Hisey and Elizabeth Klosa and Aden Wong and Farah Zaza and Gabor Fichtinger and Boris Zevin and James Lisondra and Remi Gao and Albert Fung and Alicia Belaiche and Johanie Victoria Piché and Adam Hocini and Myriam Belaiche and Louise McNaughton-Filion and Constance Bouthillier and Tomas Cordoba and Charlotte McEwen and Iqbal Jaffer and Faizan Amin and Jeffrey Barsuk and William McGaghie and Matthew Sibbald and Edgar Akuffo-Addo and Jaycie Dalson and Kwame Agyei and Samiha Mohsen and Safia Yusuf and Clara Juando-Prats and Jory Simpson and Gursharan Sohi and Bianca Giglio and Vanja Davidovic and Recai Yilmaz and Abdulmajeed Albeloushi and Mohamed Alhantoobi and Abicumaran Uthamacumaran and Jason Lapointe and Ahmad Alhaj and Rothaina Saeedi and Trisha Tee and Rolando Del Maestro and Victoria Tran},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie},
volume = {68},
number = {1suppl1},
pages = {S1-S13},
abstract = {C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation: Canadian Conference for the Advancement of Surgical Education, Oct. 17-18, 2024, Toronto, Ontario C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation: Canadian Conference for the Advancement of Surgical Education, Oct. 17-18, 2024, Toronto, Ontario Can J Surg. 2025 Feb 6;68(1suppl1):S1-S13. doi: 10.1503/cjs.000225. Print 2025 Jan-Feb. Authors Daniel Josué Guerra Ordaz 1 , Magdalena Cordoba 1 , Éolie Delisle 1 , Rocío Branes 1 , Sophie Nguyen 1 , Waiel Abdulaziz Daghistani 1 , Maryam Mozafarinia 1 , Carlos Cordoba 1 , Jessica Maher 2 , Marisa Dorling 2 , Kirk Haan 2 , Danah Fahad 2 , Alexander Moise 2 , Gizelle Francis 2 , Youssef Omar 2 , Elysia Grose 2 , Timothy Phillips 2 , Alexandra D'Souza 3 , Shaishav Datta 3 , Kyle Wanzel 3 , Retage Al Bader 4 , Clementine Affana 4 , Ashish Kumar 4 , Nancy Posel 5 , David Fleiszer 5 , Emily Lan-Vy …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation: Canadian Conference for the Advancement of Surgical Education, Oct. 17-18, 2024, Toronto, Ontario C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation: Canadian Conference for the Advancement of Surgical Education, Oct. 17-18, 2024, Toronto, Ontario Can J Surg. 2025 Feb 6;68(1suppl1):S1-S13. doi: 10.1503/cjs.000225. Print 2025 Jan-Feb. Authors Daniel Josué Guerra Ordaz 1 , Magdalena Cordoba 1 , Éolie Delisle 1 , Rocío Branes 1 , Sophie Nguyen 1 , Waiel Abdulaziz Daghistani 1 , Maryam Mozafarinia 1 , Carlos Cordoba 1 , Jessica Maher 2 , Marisa Dorling 2 , Kirk Haan 2 , Danah Fahad 2 , Alexander Moise 2 , Gizelle Francis 2 , Youssef Omar 2 , Elysia Grose 2 , Timothy Phillips 2 , Alexandra D'Souza 3 , Shaishav Datta 3 , Kyle Wanzel 3 , Retage Al Bader 4 , Clementine Affana 4 , Ashish Kumar 4 , Nancy Posel 5 , David Fleiszer 5 , Emily Lan-Vy …
Ordaz, Daniel Josué Guerra; Maher, Jessica; D’Souza, Alexandra; Bader, Retage Al; Posel, Nancy; Nguyen, Emily Lan-Vy; Skaik, Khaled; Driad, Cariane; Ng, Jasmine; Yang, Lucy; Sticca, Giancarlo; Francis, Gizelle; Yang, Xin Yu; Niazi, Farbod; Petruccelli, Joseph; Mikerov, Gregory; Colivas, Justine; Kreutz, Jason; Chopra, Sonaina; Pradhan, Anushka; Volfson, Emily; Peramakumar, Denesh; Patel, Prachikumari; Belaiche, Alicia; Bouthillier, Constance; McEwen, Charlotte; Akuffo-Addo, Edgar; Sohi, Gursharan; Giglio, Bianca; Tran, Victoria; Skakum, Megan; Allen, Rachael; Das, Amrit; McKenna, Alyson; Cordoba, Magdalena; Delisle, Éolie; Branes, Rocío; Nguyen, Sophie; Daghistani, Waiel Abdulaziz; Mozafarinia, Maryam; Cordoba, Carlos; Dorling, Marisa; Haan, Kirk; Fahad, Danah; Moise, Alexander; Omar, Youssef; Grose, Elysia; Phillips, Timothy; Datta, Shaishav; Wanzel, Kyle; Affana, Clementine; Kumar, Ashish; Fleiszer, David; Irfan, Ahmer; Aubrey, Jason; Coe, Taylor M; Muaddi, Hala; Bucur, Roxana; Rukavina, Nadia; Shwaartz, Chaya; Elmasry, Wassim; Haseltine, Devon; Bilson, Matthew; Moustafa, Mahmoud; Wagner, Maryam; Gomez-Garibello, Carlos; Sonesaksith-Turcotte, Xavier; Sandman, Émilie; Huynh, Lily Trang; Jantchou, Prevost; Nault, Marie-Lyne; Dhaliwal, Jaskarn; Salim, Henna; Shakeel, Ayesha; Malik, Suffia; Chung, Wiley; Al-Ani, Abdullah; Bondok, Mohamed; Chung, Helen; Gooi, Patrick; Dorion, Dominique; Omar, Yousef Abdelkhalek Saber; Hathi, Kalpesh; Philips, Timothy; Naidoo, Lalenthra; Massé, Gabrielle; Tremblay, Jean-François; Vandenbroucke-Menu, Franck; Gervais, Mai-Kim; Letendre, Julien; Jeanmart, Hugues; Lacaille-Ranger, Ariane; Ahmed, Abrar; Patel, Zeel; Arfaie, Saman; Ma, Crystal; Legler, Jack; Steinberg, Emily; Fadel, Elie; Murad, Liam; Biris, Julia; Desgagné, Charles; Noyon, Brandon; Dubrowski, Adam; Patocskai, Érica; McPhalen, Donald; Temple-Oberle, Claire; Dhanoa, Jasmin; Harley, Jason M; Acai, Anita; Keuhl, Amy; Ngo, Quang; Sherbino, Jonathan; Bassilious, Ereny; Bilgic, Elif; Tsang, Zackary; Mak, Megan; Hodaie, Mojgan; Hisey, Rebecca; Klosa, Elizabeth; Wong, Aden; Zaza, Farah; Fichtinger, Gabor; Zevin, Boris; Lisondra, James; Gao, Remi; Fung, Albert; Piché, Johanie Victoria; Hocini, Adam; Belaiche, Myriam; McNaughton-Filion, Louise; Cordoba, Tomas; Jaffer, Iqbal; Amin, Faizan; Barsuk, Jeffrey; McGaghie, William; Sibbald, Matthew; Dalson, Jaycie; Agyei, Kwame; Mohsen, Samiha; Yusuf, Safia; Juando-Prats, Clara; Simpson, Jory; Davidovic, Vanja; Yilmaz, Recai; Albeloushi, Abdulmajeed; Alhantoobi, Mohamed; Uthamacumaran, Abicumaran; Lapointe, Jason; Alhaj, Ahmad
C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation01. A 25-year retrospective of Canadian plastic surgery research and its influence: a thorough bibliometric study02 … Journal Article
In: vol. 68, no. 1suppl1, pp. S1-S13, 2025.
@article{ordaz2025,
title = {C-CASE 2024: Surgical Education Through Innovation01. A 25-year retrospective of Canadian plastic surgery research and its influence: a thorough bibliometric study02 …},
author = {Daniel Josué Guerra Ordaz and Jessica Maher and Alexandra D’Souza and Retage Al Bader and Nancy Posel and Emily Lan-Vy Nguyen and Khaled Skaik and Cariane Driad and Jasmine Ng and Lucy Yang and Giancarlo Sticca and Gizelle Francis and Xin Yu Yang and Farbod Niazi and Joseph Petruccelli and Gregory Mikerov and Justine Colivas and Jason Kreutz and Sonaina Chopra and Anushka Pradhan and Emily Volfson and Denesh Peramakumar and Prachikumari Patel and Alicia Belaiche and Constance Bouthillier and Charlotte McEwen and Edgar Akuffo-Addo and Gursharan Sohi and Bianca Giglio and Victoria Tran and Megan Skakum and Rachael Allen and Amrit Das and Alyson McKenna and Magdalena Cordoba and Éolie Delisle and Rocío Branes and Sophie Nguyen and Waiel Abdulaziz Daghistani and Maryam Mozafarinia and Carlos Cordoba and Marisa Dorling and Kirk Haan and Danah Fahad and Alexander Moise and Youssef Omar and Elysia Grose and Timothy Phillips and Shaishav Datta and Kyle Wanzel and Clementine Affana and Ashish Kumar and David Fleiszer and Ahmer Irfan and Jason Aubrey and Taylor M Coe and Hala Muaddi and Roxana Bucur and Nadia Rukavina and Chaya Shwaartz and Wassim Elmasry and Devon Haseltine and Matthew Bilson and Mahmoud Moustafa and Maryam Wagner and Carlos Gomez-Garibello and Xavier Sonesaksith-Turcotte and Émilie Sandman and Lily Trang Huynh and Prevost Jantchou and Marie-Lyne Nault and Jaskarn Dhaliwal and Henna Salim and Ayesha Shakeel and Suffia Malik and Wiley Chung and Abdullah Al-Ani and Mohamed Bondok and Helen Chung and Patrick Gooi and Dominique Dorion and Yousef Abdelkhalek Saber Omar and Kalpesh Hathi and Timothy Philips and Lalenthra Naidoo and Gabrielle Massé and Jean-François Tremblay and Franck Vandenbroucke-Menu and Mai-Kim Gervais and Julien Letendre and Hugues Jeanmart and Ariane Lacaille-Ranger and Abrar Ahmed and Zeel Patel and Saman Arfaie and Crystal Ma and Jack Legler and Emily Steinberg and Elie Fadel and Liam Murad and Julia Biris and Charles Desgagné and Brandon Noyon and Adam Dubrowski and Érica Patocskai and Donald McPhalen and Claire Temple-Oberle and Jasmin Dhanoa and Jason M Harley and Anita Acai and Amy Keuhl and Quang Ngo and Jonathan Sherbino and Ereny Bassilious and Elif Bilgic and Zackary Tsang and Megan Mak and Mojgan Hodaie and Rebecca Hisey and Elizabeth Klosa and Aden Wong and Farah Zaza and Gabor Fichtinger and Boris Zevin and James Lisondra and Remi Gao and Albert Fung and Johanie Victoria Piché and Adam Hocini and Myriam Belaiche and Louise McNaughton-Filion and Tomas Cordoba and Iqbal Jaffer and Faizan Amin and Jeffrey Barsuk and William McGaghie and Matthew Sibbald and Jaycie Dalson and Kwame Agyei and Samiha Mohsen and Safia Yusuf and Clara Juando-Prats and Jory Simpson and Vanja Davidovic and Recai Yilmaz and Abdulmajeed Albeloushi and Mohamed Alhantoobi and Abicumaran Uthamacumaran and Jason Lapointe and Ahmad Alhaj},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
volume = {68},
number = {1suppl1},
pages = {S1-S13},
publisher = {Canadian Journal of Surgery},
abstract = {Background:
Bibliometric analysis is used to assess and interpret the academic output and impact within a specific field. We aimed to measure the quantity and quality of plastic surgery research conducted by Canadian authors from 1999 to 2023.
Methods:
An extensive bibliometric analysis was carried out using the Web of Science Core Collection, retrieving data from 60 leading plastic surgery journals, focusing on original articles and reviews published between 1999 and 2023. The InCites Benchmarking & Analytics platform was used to evaluate the quantity and quality of the publications. The quality was assessed using 2 main metrics: category-normalized citation impact (CNCI) and the percentage of publications in the top quartile of journals based on impact factors. We employed VOSviewer to visualize notable keywords and map collaborative relationships among universities over various periods.
Results …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background:
Bibliometric analysis is used to assess and interpret the academic output and impact within a specific field. We aimed to measure the quantity and quality of plastic surgery research conducted by Canadian authors from 1999 to 2023.
Methods:
An extensive bibliometric analysis was carried out using the Web of Science Core Collection, retrieving data from 60 leading plastic surgery journals, focusing on original articles and reviews published between 1999 and 2023. The InCites Benchmarking & Analytics platform was used to evaluate the quantity and quality of the publications. The quality was assessed using 2 main metrics: category-normalized citation impact (CNCI) and the percentage of publications in the top quartile of journals based on impact factors. We employed VOSviewer to visualize notable keywords and map collaborative relationships among universities over various periods.
Results …
Bibliometric analysis is used to assess and interpret the academic output and impact within a specific field. We aimed to measure the quantity and quality of plastic surgery research conducted by Canadian authors from 1999 to 2023.
Methods:
An extensive bibliometric analysis was carried out using the Web of Science Core Collection, retrieving data from 60 leading plastic surgery journals, focusing on original articles and reviews published between 1999 and 2023. The InCites Benchmarking & Analytics platform was used to evaluate the quantity and quality of the publications. The quality was assessed using 2 main metrics: category-normalized citation impact (CNCI) and the percentage of publications in the top quartile of journals based on impact factors. We employed VOSviewer to visualize notable keywords and map collaborative relationships among universities over various periods.
Results …
Elkind, Emese; Tun, Aung Tin; Radcliffe, Olivia; Connolly, Laura; Davison, Colleen; Purkey, Eva; Mousavi, Parvin; Fichtinger, Gabor; Thornton, Kanchana
Canadian Association for Global Health, 2024.
@conference{Elkind2024b,
title = {Enhancing healthcare access by developing low-cost 3D printed prosthetics along the Thai-Myanmar border},
author = {Emese Elkind and Aung Tin Tun and Olivia Radcliffe and Laura Connolly and Colleen Davison and Eva Purkey and Parvin Mousavi and Gabor Fichtinger and Kanchana Thornton
},
url = {https://labs.cs.queensu.ca/perklab/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/EElkind_CCGH2024.pdf},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-10-25},
urldate = {2024-10-25},
publisher = {Canadian Association for Global Health},
abstract = {Background/Objective
Inadequacies in the Burmese healthcare system, heightened by the 2021 military coup of the civil war in Myanmar and the COVID-19 pandemic, have driven thousands of refugees to Thailand seeking medical aid. Without immigration status, these refugees, especially those who have experienced limb loss, are challenged by the inability to receive healthcare. Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF, www.burmachildren.com) based in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand focuses on funding underserved Burmese communities’ medical treatment and providing support services.
Prosthetics in lower-income countries are usually passive, therefore, patients cannot fully perform their daily functions, impacting their abilities to work and affecting family caretakers. BCMF aims to make body-powered prosthetics that work best in low-resource settings using open-source designs, which only allow for fixed hand positions. The usage of prosthetic arms depends heavily on their functionality and comfort. Patients are more likely to consistently use prosthetics if it aids them in returning to normalcy and reducing family burdens. My objective is to design an interchangeable hand to enable critical rotational movements.
Methodology
The BCMF prosthetics project makes custom-fitted, low-cost, 3D-printed prostheses. BCMF uses open-source prosthetic models such as the Kwawu Arm 2.0, which provides an OpenSCAD (openscad.org) file for adjusting the model to the recipient's measurements. To maintain BCMF’s workflow, the interchangeable wrist model was created using the 3D design software, Autodesk Fusion 360, and designs from NIOP Q-C v1 and v2 Quick-Connect Wrist. The wrist was merged onto the Kwawu Arm, printed, assembled, and tested. This is an iterative process where patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the diverse needs of the recipients.
Results
Since the launch of the prosthetics project in 2019, BCMF has provided 3D-printed prosthetics to 76 patients. The interchangeable hand provides a solution to many patients' everyday activities and can rotate the hand 360 degrees.
Conclusions
This project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities.
Relevance to Sub-Theme
This presentation aligns with sub-theme 2 by developing and testing methods to improve healthcare access and quality in areas affected by war, migration, poverty, and racial disparities.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
Background/Objective
Inadequacies in the Burmese healthcare system, heightened by the 2021 military coup of the civil war in Myanmar and the COVID-19 pandemic, have driven thousands of refugees to Thailand seeking medical aid. Without immigration status, these refugees, especially those who have experienced limb loss, are challenged by the inability to receive healthcare. Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF, www.burmachildren.com) based in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand focuses on funding underserved Burmese communities’ medical treatment and providing support services.
Prosthetics in lower-income countries are usually passive, therefore, patients cannot fully perform their daily functions, impacting their abilities to work and affecting family caretakers. BCMF aims to make body-powered prosthetics that work best in low-resource settings using open-source designs, which only allow for fixed hand positions. The usage of prosthetic arms depends heavily on their functionality and comfort. Patients are more likely to consistently use prosthetics if it aids them in returning to normalcy and reducing family burdens. My objective is to design an interchangeable hand to enable critical rotational movements.
Methodology
The BCMF prosthetics project makes custom-fitted, low-cost, 3D-printed prostheses. BCMF uses open-source prosthetic models such as the Kwawu Arm 2.0, which provides an OpenSCAD (openscad.org) file for adjusting the model to the recipient's measurements. To maintain BCMF’s workflow, the interchangeable wrist model was created using the 3D design software, Autodesk Fusion 360, and designs from NIOP Q-C v1 and v2 Quick-Connect Wrist. The wrist was merged onto the Kwawu Arm, printed, assembled, and tested. This is an iterative process where patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the diverse needs of the recipients.
Results
Since the launch of the prosthetics project in 2019, BCMF has provided 3D-printed prosthetics to 76 patients. The interchangeable hand provides a solution to many patients' everyday activities and can rotate the hand 360 degrees.
Conclusions
This project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities.
Relevance to Sub-Theme
This presentation aligns with sub-theme 2 by developing and testing methods to improve healthcare access and quality in areas affected by war, migration, poverty, and racial disparities.
Inadequacies in the Burmese healthcare system, heightened by the 2021 military coup of the civil war in Myanmar and the COVID-19 pandemic, have driven thousands of refugees to Thailand seeking medical aid. Without immigration status, these refugees, especially those who have experienced limb loss, are challenged by the inability to receive healthcare. Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF, www.burmachildren.com) based in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand focuses on funding underserved Burmese communities’ medical treatment and providing support services.
Prosthetics in lower-income countries are usually passive, therefore, patients cannot fully perform their daily functions, impacting their abilities to work and affecting family caretakers. BCMF aims to make body-powered prosthetics that work best in low-resource settings using open-source designs, which only allow for fixed hand positions. The usage of prosthetic arms depends heavily on their functionality and comfort. Patients are more likely to consistently use prosthetics if it aids them in returning to normalcy and reducing family burdens. My objective is to design an interchangeable hand to enable critical rotational movements.
Methodology
The BCMF prosthetics project makes custom-fitted, low-cost, 3D-printed prostheses. BCMF uses open-source prosthetic models such as the Kwawu Arm 2.0, which provides an OpenSCAD (openscad.org) file for adjusting the model to the recipient's measurements. To maintain BCMF’s workflow, the interchangeable wrist model was created using the 3D design software, Autodesk Fusion 360, and designs from NIOP Q-C v1 and v2 Quick-Connect Wrist. The wrist was merged onto the Kwawu Arm, printed, assembled, and tested. This is an iterative process where patient feedback ensures the prosthetics cater to the diverse needs of the recipients.
Results
Since the launch of the prosthetics project in 2019, BCMF has provided 3D-printed prosthetics to 76 patients. The interchangeable hand provides a solution to many patients' everyday activities and can rotate the hand 360 degrees.
Conclusions
This project provides a low-cost solution to healthcare challenges in the context of poly-crisis experienced in Myanmar, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of affected refugee communities.
Relevance to Sub-Theme
This presentation aligns with sub-theme 2 by developing and testing methods to improve healthcare access and quality in areas affected by war, migration, poverty, and racial disparities.
Warren, Jade; Jamzad, Amoon; Jamaspishvili, Tamara; Iseman, Rachael; Syeda, Ayesha; Kaufmann, Martin; Rudan, John; Fichtinger, Gabor; Berman, David M.; Mousavi, Parvin
Towards Improving Surgical Margins in Tumour Resection Using Mass Spectrometry Imaging Proceedings
2024, ISBN: 979-8-3503-7163-5.
@proceedings{10667088,
title = {Towards Improving Surgical Margins in Tumour Resection Using Mass Spectrometry Imaging},
author = {Jade Warren and Amoon Jamzad and Tamara Jamaspishvili and Rachael Iseman and Ayesha Syeda and Martin Kaufmann and John Rudan and Gabor Fichtinger and David M. Berman and Parvin Mousavi},
doi = {10.1109/CCECE59415.2024.10667088},
isbn = {979-8-3503-7163-5},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-09-21},
urldate = {2024-09-21},
abstract = {Successful cancer resection is limited by the inability to differentiate between cancer and normal tissue intraoperatively. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) is an emerging and powerful analytical technique that offers a rapid and low cost approach for assessing surgical margins by generating detailed metabolic profiles. However, exploiting this data for tissue characterization based on molecular signals requires machine learning methods to handle its complexity. In this work, we utilize machine learning models for the characterization of tissue using DESI-MSI data obtained from prostate tissue samples. We use ViPRE, a novel open-source software, to annotate a large DESI-MSI dataset. We explore various machine learning models and train test schemes for cancer classification. Cross-validation of our models result in high balanced accuracy, sensitivity and specificity for cancer classification. Furthermore, we simulate the prospective application of perioperative tissue characterization, generating a qualitative visual prediction for whole slides that match pathology annotations. Finally, the application of linear transformation and classification algorithms on DESI-MSI data effectively distinguished between the molecular profiles associated with different cancer grades. Our findings highlight the promise of combining machine learning with large DESI-MSI datasets for tissue characterization, thereby improving surgical margin precision.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}
Successful cancer resection is limited by the inability to differentiate between cancer and normal tissue intraoperatively. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) is an emerging and powerful analytical technique that offers a rapid and low cost approach for assessing surgical margins by generating detailed metabolic profiles. However, exploiting this data for tissue characterization based on molecular signals requires machine learning methods to handle its complexity. In this work, we utilize machine learning models for the characterization of tissue using DESI-MSI data obtained from prostate tissue samples. We use ViPRE, a novel open-source software, to annotate a large DESI-MSI dataset. We explore various machine learning models and train test schemes for cancer classification. Cross-validation of our models result in high balanced accuracy, sensitivity and specificity for cancer classification. Furthermore, we simulate the prospective application of perioperative tissue characterization, generating a qualitative visual prediction for whole slides that match pathology annotations. Finally, the application of linear transformation and classification algorithms on DESI-MSI data effectively distinguished between the molecular profiles associated with different cancer grades. Our findings highlight the promise of combining machine learning with large DESI-MSI datasets for tissue characterization, thereby improving surgical margin precision.
Kim, Andrew S.; Yeung, Chris; Szabo, Robert; Sunderland, Kyle; Hisey, Rebecca; Morton, David; Kikinis, Ron; Diao, Babacar; Mousavi, Parvin; Ungi, Tamas; Fichtinger, Gabor
SPIE, 2024.
@proceedings{Kim2024,
title = {Percutaneous nephrostomy needle guidance using real-time 3D anatomical visualization with live ultrasound segmentation},
author = {Andrew S. Kim and Chris Yeung and Robert Szabo and Kyle Sunderland and Rebecca Hisey and David Morton and Ron Kikinis and Babacar Diao and Parvin Mousavi and Tamas Ungi and Gabor Fichtinger},
editor = {Maryam E. Rettmann and Jeffrey H. Siewerdsen},
doi = {10.1117/12.3006533},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-03-29},
urldate = {2024-03-29},
publisher = {SPIE},
abstract = {
PURPOSE: Percutaneous nephrostomy is a commonly performed procedure to drain urine to provide relief in patients with hydronephrosis. Conventional percutaneous nephrostomy needle guidance methods can be difficult, expensive, or not portable. We propose an open-source real-time 3D anatomical visualization aid for needle guidance with live ultrasound segmentation and 3D volume reconstruction using free, open-source software. METHODS: Basic hydronephrotic kidney phantoms were created, and recordings of these models were manually segmented and used to train a deep learning model that makes live segmentation predictions to perform live 3D volume reconstruction of the fluid-filled cavity. Participants performed 5 needle insertions with the visualization aid and 5 insertions with ultrasound needle guidance on a kidney phantom in randomized order, and these were recorded. Recordings of the trials were analyzed for needle tip distance to the center of the target calyx, needle insertion time, and success rate. Participants also completed a survey on their experience. RESULTS: Using the visualization aid showed significantly higher accuracy, while needle insertion time and success rate were not statistically significant at our sample size. Participants mostly responded positively to the visualization aid, and 80% found it easier to use than ultrasound needle guidance. CONCLUSION: We found that our visualization aid produced increased accuracy and an overall positive experience. We demonstrated that our system is functional and stable and believe that the workflow with this system can be applied to other procedures. This visualization aid system is effective on phantoms and is ready for translation with clinical data.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}
PURPOSE: Percutaneous nephrostomy is a commonly performed procedure to drain urine to provide relief in patients with hydronephrosis. Conventional percutaneous nephrostomy needle guidance methods can be difficult, expensive, or not portable. We propose an open-source real-time 3D anatomical visualization aid for needle guidance with live ultrasound segmentation and 3D volume reconstruction using free, open-source software. METHODS: Basic hydronephrotic kidney phantoms were created, and recordings of these models were manually segmented and used to train a deep learning model that makes live segmentation predictions to perform live 3D volume reconstruction of the fluid-filled cavity. Participants performed 5 needle insertions with the visualization aid and 5 insertions with ultrasound needle guidance on a kidney phantom in randomized order, and these were recorded. Recordings of the trials were analyzed for needle tip distance to the center of the target calyx, needle insertion time, and success rate. Participants also completed a survey on their experience. RESULTS: Using the visualization aid showed significantly higher accuracy, while needle insertion time and success rate were not statistically significant at our sample size. Participants mostly responded positively to the visualization aid, and 80% found it easier to use than ultrasound needle guidance. CONCLUSION: We found that our visualization aid produced increased accuracy and an overall positive experience. We demonstrated that our system is functional and stable and believe that the workflow with this system can be applied to other procedures. This visualization aid system is effective on phantoms and is ready for translation with clinical data.
Klosa, Elizabeth; Levendovics, Renáta; Takács, Kristóf; Fichtinger, Gabor; Haidegger, Tamás
Exploring heart rate variability metrics for stress assessment in robot-assisted surgery training Conference
2024.
@conference{nokey,
title = {Exploring heart rate variability metrics for stress assessment in robot-assisted surgery training},
author = {Elizabeth Klosa and Renáta Levendovics and Kristóf Takács and Gabor Fichtinger and Tamás Haidegger},
url = {https://www.imno.ca/sites/default/files/ImNO2024-Proceedings.pdf},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-03-20},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
Elkind, Emese; Barr, Keiran; Barr, Colton; Moga, Kristof; Garamvolgy, Tivadar; Haidegger, Tamas; Ungi, Tamas; Fichtinger, Gabor
Modifying Radix Lenses to Survive Low-Cost Sterilization: An Exploratory Study Conference
Imaging Network of Ontario (ImNO) Symposium, 2024.
@conference{Elkind2024,
title = {Modifying Radix Lenses to Survive Low-Cost Sterilization: An Exploratory Study},
author = {Emese Elkind and Keiran Barr and Colton Barr and Kristof Moga and Tivadar Garamvolgy and Tamas Haidegger and Tamas Ungi and Gabor Fichtinger},
url = {https://labs.cs.queensu.ca/perklab/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/EmeseElkindImNO2024-2.docx},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-03-19},
urldate = {2024-03-19},
publisher = {Imaging Network of Ontario (ImNO) Symposium},
abstract = {INTRODUCTION: A major challenge with deploying infrared camera-tracked surgical navigation solutions, such as NousNav [1], in low-resource settings is the high cost and unavailability of disposable retroreflective infrared markers. Developing an accessible method to reuse and sterilize retroreflective markers could lead to significant increase in the uptake of this technology. As none of the known infrared markers can endure standard autoclaving and most places do not have access to gas sterilization, attention is focused on cold liquid sterilisation methods commonly used in laparoscopy and other optical tools that cannot be sterilized in a conventional autoclave.
METHODS: We propose to modify NDI Radix™ Lens [1], single-use retroreflective spherical marker manufactured by Northern Digital, Waterloo, Canada. Radix lenses are uniquely promising candidates for liquid sterilization given their smooth, spherical surface. This quality also makes them easier to clean perioperatively compared to other retroreflective infrared marker designs. Initial experiments show that liquid sterilization agents degrade the marker’s retroreflective gold coating (Fig. 1). Hence the objective of this project is to develop a method to protect the Radix Lenses with a layer of coating material that does not allow the sanitizing agent to degrade the coating to enable the lens to survive multiple sanitation cycles while retaining sufficient tracking accuracy. We employed two cold liquid sterilisation agents, household bleach which is a common ingredient of liquid sterilisation solutions and Sekusept™ Aktiv (Ecolab, Saint Paul, MN, USA), which is widely known for sterilizing laparoscopy instruments. Store-bought nail polish and Zink-Alu Spray were used to coat the lenses. Data were obtained by recording five tests each with five rounds of sterilization, each tested with six trials, for a total of 150 recordings. The five tests were as follows: 1) Radix lens coated with nail polish and bleached, 2) uncoated and bleached, 3) coated with nail polish and sanitised, 4) uncoated and sanitised, and 5) coated with Zink-Alu Spray and sanitised. To assess the impact of the sterilization on the lens’s fiducial localization error, two metal marker frames equipped with four sockets designed for the Radix lenses were used. The reference marker frame was secured to a flat table while the other marker frame moved along a fixed path on the table. The position and orientation of the marker clusters were streamed into 3D Slicer using the Public Library for Ultrasound Toolkit (PLUS). A plane was then fit to the recorded marker poses in 3D Slicer using Iterative Closest Point and the marker registration error was computed. Distance from the camera, angle of view, and distance from the edges of the field of view were held constant.
RESULTS: With each round of sterilization, the error of coated lenses was lower than the unprotected lenses, and the error showed a slightly increasing trend (Fig. 2). The lenses appeared fainter in the tracking software the lenses appeared fainter while all lenses remained trackable and visible despite the significant removal of reflective coating.
When reflective coating was fully rubbed off the lenses, the tracking software could still localize the markers; however, the lenses did appear much fainter in the tracking software. We observed that the reflective coating rubs off the lens in routine handling, and recoating with Zink-Alu spray can partially restore marker visibility. Using protective nail polish coating prevented the reflective coating from rubbing off altogether.
CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study represents a promising step toward achieving low-cost sterilization of retroreflective infrared markers. Studies with the NousNav system need to be undertaken to measure the extent of degradation in tracking accuracy is tolerable as a side effect of marker sterilization. Before using coated Radix lenses on human subjects, it must be verified that the protective coating (common nail polish in our study) is fully biocompatible and remains undamaged by the cold sterilization agent (Sekusept™ Aktiv in our study.)
REFERENCES: [1] NousNav: A low-cost neuronavigation system for deployment in lower-resource settings, International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, 2022 Sep;17(9):1745-1750. [2] NDI Radix™ Lens (https://www.ndigital.com/optical-measurement-technology/radix-lens/) },
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
INTRODUCTION: A major challenge with deploying infrared camera-tracked surgical navigation solutions, such as NousNav [1], in low-resource settings is the high cost and unavailability of disposable retroreflective infrared markers. Developing an accessible method to reuse and sterilize retroreflective markers could lead to significant increase in the uptake of this technology. As none of the known infrared markers can endure standard autoclaving and most places do not have access to gas sterilization, attention is focused on cold liquid sterilisation methods commonly used in laparoscopy and other optical tools that cannot be sterilized in a conventional autoclave.
METHODS: We propose to modify NDI Radix™ Lens [1], single-use retroreflective spherical marker manufactured by Northern Digital, Waterloo, Canada. Radix lenses are uniquely promising candidates for liquid sterilization given their smooth, spherical surface. This quality also makes them easier to clean perioperatively compared to other retroreflective infrared marker designs. Initial experiments show that liquid sterilization agents degrade the marker’s retroreflective gold coating (Fig. 1). Hence the objective of this project is to develop a method to protect the Radix Lenses with a layer of coating material that does not allow the sanitizing agent to degrade the coating to enable the lens to survive multiple sanitation cycles while retaining sufficient tracking accuracy. We employed two cold liquid sterilisation agents, household bleach which is a common ingredient of liquid sterilisation solutions and Sekusept™ Aktiv (Ecolab, Saint Paul, MN, USA), which is widely known for sterilizing laparoscopy instruments. Store-bought nail polish and Zink-Alu Spray were used to coat the lenses. Data were obtained by recording five tests each with five rounds of sterilization, each tested with six trials, for a total of 150 recordings. The five tests were as follows: 1) Radix lens coated with nail polish and bleached, 2) uncoated and bleached, 3) coated with nail polish and sanitised, 4) uncoated and sanitised, and 5) coated with Zink-Alu Spray and sanitised. To assess the impact of the sterilization on the lens’s fiducial localization error, two metal marker frames equipped with four sockets designed for the Radix lenses were used. The reference marker frame was secured to a flat table while the other marker frame moved along a fixed path on the table. The position and orientation of the marker clusters were streamed into 3D Slicer using the Public Library for Ultrasound Toolkit (PLUS). A plane was then fit to the recorded marker poses in 3D Slicer using Iterative Closest Point and the marker registration error was computed. Distance from the camera, angle of view, and distance from the edges of the field of view were held constant.
RESULTS: With each round of sterilization, the error of coated lenses was lower than the unprotected lenses, and the error showed a slightly increasing trend (Fig. 2). The lenses appeared fainter in the tracking software the lenses appeared fainter while all lenses remained trackable and visible despite the significant removal of reflective coating.
When reflective coating was fully rubbed off the lenses, the tracking software could still localize the markers; however, the lenses did appear much fainter in the tracking software. We observed that the reflective coating rubs off the lens in routine handling, and recoating with Zink-Alu spray can partially restore marker visibility. Using protective nail polish coating prevented the reflective coating from rubbing off altogether.
CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study represents a promising step toward achieving low-cost sterilization of retroreflective infrared markers. Studies with the NousNav system need to be undertaken to measure the extent of degradation in tracking accuracy is tolerable as a side effect of marker sterilization. Before using coated Radix lenses on human subjects, it must be verified that the protective coating (common nail polish in our study) is fully biocompatible and remains undamaged by the cold sterilization agent (Sekusept™ Aktiv in our study.)
REFERENCES: [1] NousNav: A low-cost neuronavigation system for deployment in lower-resource settings, International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, 2022 Sep;17(9):1745-1750. [2] NDI Radix™ Lens (https://www.ndigital.com/optical-measurement-technology/radix-lens/)
METHODS: We propose to modify NDI Radix™ Lens [1], single-use retroreflective spherical marker manufactured by Northern Digital, Waterloo, Canada. Radix lenses are uniquely promising candidates for liquid sterilization given their smooth, spherical surface. This quality also makes them easier to clean perioperatively compared to other retroreflective infrared marker designs. Initial experiments show that liquid sterilization agents degrade the marker’s retroreflective gold coating (Fig. 1). Hence the objective of this project is to develop a method to protect the Radix Lenses with a layer of coating material that does not allow the sanitizing agent to degrade the coating to enable the lens to survive multiple sanitation cycles while retaining sufficient tracking accuracy. We employed two cold liquid sterilisation agents, household bleach which is a common ingredient of liquid sterilisation solutions and Sekusept™ Aktiv (Ecolab, Saint Paul, MN, USA), which is widely known for sterilizing laparoscopy instruments. Store-bought nail polish and Zink-Alu Spray were used to coat the lenses. Data were obtained by recording five tests each with five rounds of sterilization, each tested with six trials, for a total of 150 recordings. The five tests were as follows: 1) Radix lens coated with nail polish and bleached, 2) uncoated and bleached, 3) coated with nail polish and sanitised, 4) uncoated and sanitised, and 5) coated with Zink-Alu Spray and sanitised. To assess the impact of the sterilization on the lens’s fiducial localization error, two metal marker frames equipped with four sockets designed for the Radix lenses were used. The reference marker frame was secured to a flat table while the other marker frame moved along a fixed path on the table. The position and orientation of the marker clusters were streamed into 3D Slicer using the Public Library for Ultrasound Toolkit (PLUS). A plane was then fit to the recorded marker poses in 3D Slicer using Iterative Closest Point and the marker registration error was computed. Distance from the camera, angle of view, and distance from the edges of the field of view were held constant.
RESULTS: With each round of sterilization, the error of coated lenses was lower than the unprotected lenses, and the error showed a slightly increasing trend (Fig. 2). The lenses appeared fainter in the tracking software the lenses appeared fainter while all lenses remained trackable and visible despite the significant removal of reflective coating.
When reflective coating was fully rubbed off the lenses, the tracking software could still localize the markers; however, the lenses did appear much fainter in the tracking software. We observed that the reflective coating rubs off the lens in routine handling, and recoating with Zink-Alu spray can partially restore marker visibility. Using protective nail polish coating prevented the reflective coating from rubbing off altogether.
CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study represents a promising step toward achieving low-cost sterilization of retroreflective infrared markers. Studies with the NousNav system need to be undertaken to measure the extent of degradation in tracking accuracy is tolerable as a side effect of marker sterilization. Before using coated Radix lenses on human subjects, it must be verified that the protective coating (common nail polish in our study) is fully biocompatible and remains undamaged by the cold sterilization agent (Sekusept™ Aktiv in our study.)
REFERENCES: [1] NousNav: A low-cost neuronavigation system for deployment in lower-resource settings, International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, 2022 Sep;17(9):1745-1750. [2] NDI Radix™ Lens (https://www.ndigital.com/optical-measurement-technology/radix-lens/)
Hisey, Rebecca; Ndiaye, Fatou Bintou; Sunderland, Kyle; Seck, Idrissa; Mbaye, Moustapha; Keita, Mohammed; Diahame, Mamadou; Kikinis, Ron; Diao, Babacar; Fichtinger, Gabor; Camara, Mamadou
Feasibility of video‐based skill assessment for percutaneous nephrostomy training in Senegal Journal Article
In: Healthcare Technology Letters, 2024.
@article{hisey2024a,
title = {Feasibility of video‐based skill assessment for percutaneous nephrostomy training in Senegal},
author = {Rebecca Hisey and Fatou Bintou Ndiaye and Kyle Sunderland and Idrissa Seck and Moustapha Mbaye and Mohammed Keita and Mamadou Diahame and Ron Kikinis and Babacar Diao and Gabor Fichtinger and Mamadou Camara},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Healthcare Technology Letters},
abstract = {Percutaneous nephrostomy can be an effective means of preventing irreparable renal damage from obstructive renal disease thereby providing patients with more time to access treatment to remove the source of the blockage. In sub‐Saharan Africa, where there is limited access to treatments such as dialysis and transplantation, a nephrostomy can be life‐saving. Training this procedure in simulation can allow trainees to develop their technical skills without risking patient safety, but still requires an ex‐pert observer to provide performative feedback. In this study, the feasibility of using video as an accessible method to assess skill in simulated percutaneous nephrostomy is evaluated. Six novice urology residents and six expert urologists from Ouakam Military Hospital in Dakar, Senegal performed 4 nephrostomies each using the setup. Motion‐based metrics were computed for each trial from the predicted bounding …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Percutaneous nephrostomy can be an effective means of preventing irreparable renal damage from obstructive renal disease thereby providing patients with more time to access treatment to remove the source of the blockage. In sub‐Saharan Africa, where there is limited access to treatments such as dialysis and transplantation, a nephrostomy can be life‐saving. Training this procedure in simulation can allow trainees to develop their technical skills without risking patient safety, but still requires an ex‐pert observer to provide performative feedback. In this study, the feasibility of using video as an accessible method to assess skill in simulated percutaneous nephrostomy is evaluated. Six novice urology residents and six expert urologists from Ouakam Military Hospital in Dakar, Senegal performed 4 nephrostomies each using the setup. Motion‐based metrics were computed for each trial from the predicted bounding …
Hisey, Rebecca; Ndiaye, Fatou Bintou; Sunderland, Kyle; Seck, Idrissa; Mbaye, Moustapha; Keita, Mohamed; Diahame, Mamadou; Kikinis, Ron; Diao, Babacar; Fichtinger, Gabor; Camara, Mamadou
Feasibility of video-based skill assessment for percutaneous nephrostomy training in Senegal Journal Article
In: 2024.
@article{hisey2024,
title = {Feasibility of video-based skill assessment for percutaneous nephrostomy training in Senegal},
author = {Rebecca Hisey and Fatou Bintou Ndiaye and Kyle Sunderland and Idrissa Seck and Moustapha Mbaye and Mohamed Keita and Mamadou Diahame and Ron Kikinis and Babacar Diao and Gabor Fichtinger and Mamadou Camara},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Connolly, Laura; Kumar, Aravind S; Mehta, Kapi Ketan; Al-Zogbi, Lidia; Kazanzides, Peter; Mousavi, Parvin; Fichtinger, Gabor; Krieger, Axel; Tokuda, Junichi; Taylor, Russell H; Leonard, Simon; Deguet, Anton
SlicerROS2: A Research and Development Module for Image-Guided Robotic Interventions Journal Article
In: IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, 2024.
@article{connolly2024,
title = {SlicerROS2: A Research and Development Module for Image-Guided Robotic Interventions},
author = {Laura Connolly and Aravind S Kumar and Kapi Ketan Mehta and Lidia Al-Zogbi and Peter Kazanzides and Parvin Mousavi and Gabor Fichtinger and Axel Krieger and Junichi Tokuda and Russell H Taylor and Simon Leonard and Anton Deguet},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics},
publisher = {IEEE},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Kaufmann, Martin; Vaysse, Pierre-Maxence; Savage, Adele; Kooreman, Loes FS; Janssen, Natasja; Varma, Sonal; Ren, Kevin Yi Mi; Merchant, Shaila; Engel, Cecil Jay; Damink, Steven WM Olde; Smidt, Marjolein L; Shousha, Sami; Chauhan, Hemali; Karali, Evdoxia; Kazanc, Emine; Poulogiannis, George; Fichtinger, Gabor; Tauber, Boglárka; Leff, Daniel R; Pringle, Steven D; Rudan, John F; Heeren, Ron MA; Siegel, Tiffany Porta; Takáts, Zoltán; Balog, Júlia
Testing of rapid evaporative mass spectrometry for histological tissue classification and molecular diagnostics in a multi-site study Journal Article
In: British Journal of Cancer, pp. 1-11, 2024.
@article{kaufmann2024,
title = {Testing of rapid evaporative mass spectrometry for histological tissue classification and molecular diagnostics in a multi-site study},
author = {Martin Kaufmann and Pierre-Maxence Vaysse and Adele Savage and Loes FS Kooreman and Natasja Janssen and Sonal Varma and Kevin Yi Mi Ren and Shaila Merchant and Cecil Jay Engel and Steven WM Olde Damink and Marjolein L Smidt and Sami Shousha and Hemali Chauhan and Evdoxia Karali and Emine Kazanc and George Poulogiannis and Gabor Fichtinger and Boglárka Tauber and Daniel R Leff and Steven D Pringle and John F Rudan and Ron MA Heeren and Tiffany Porta Siegel and Zoltán Takáts and Júlia Balog},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {British Journal of Cancer},
pages = {1-11},
publisher = {Nature Publishing Group UK},
abstract = {Background
While REIMS technology has successfully been demonstrated for the histological identification of ex-vivo breast tumor tissues, questions regarding the robustness of the approach and the possibility of tumor molecular diagnostics still remain unanswered. In the current study, we set out to determine whether it is possible to acquire cross-comparable REIMS datasets at multiple sites for the identification of breast tumors and subtypes.
Methods
A consortium of four sites with three of them having access to fresh surgical tissue samples performed tissue analysis using identical REIMS setups and protocols. Overall, 21 breast cancer specimens containing pathology-validated tumor and adipose tissues were analyzed and results were compared using uni- and multivariate statistics on normal, WT and PIK3CA mutant ductal carcinomas.
Results
Statistical analysis of data from standards showed significant …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background
While REIMS technology has successfully been demonstrated for the histological identification of ex-vivo breast tumor tissues, questions regarding the robustness of the approach and the possibility of tumor molecular diagnostics still remain unanswered. In the current study, we set out to determine whether it is possible to acquire cross-comparable REIMS datasets at multiple sites for the identification of breast tumors and subtypes.
Methods
A consortium of four sites with three of them having access to fresh surgical tissue samples performed tissue analysis using identical REIMS setups and protocols. Overall, 21 breast cancer specimens containing pathology-validated tumor and adipose tissues were analyzed and results were compared using uni- and multivariate statistics on normal, WT and PIK3CA mutant ductal carcinomas.
Results
Statistical analysis of data from standards showed significant …
While REIMS technology has successfully been demonstrated for the histological identification of ex-vivo breast tumor tissues, questions regarding the robustness of the approach and the possibility of tumor molecular diagnostics still remain unanswered. In the current study, we set out to determine whether it is possible to acquire cross-comparable REIMS datasets at multiple sites for the identification of breast tumors and subtypes.
Methods
A consortium of four sites with three of them having access to fresh surgical tissue samples performed tissue analysis using identical REIMS setups and protocols. Overall, 21 breast cancer specimens containing pathology-validated tumor and adipose tissues were analyzed and results were compared using uni- and multivariate statistics on normal, WT and PIK3CA mutant ductal carcinomas.
Results
Statistical analysis of data from standards showed significant …
Hashtrudi-Zaad, Kian; Ungi, Tamas; Yeung, Chris; Baum, Zachary; Cernelev, Pavel-Dumitru; Hage, Anthony N; Schlenger, Christopher; Fichtinger, Gabor
Expert-guided optimization of ultrasound segmentation models for 3D spine imaging Journal Article
In: pp. 680-685, 2024.
@article{hashtrudi-zaad2024,
title = {Expert-guided optimization of ultrasound segmentation models for 3D spine imaging},
author = {Kian Hashtrudi-Zaad and Tamas Ungi and Chris Yeung and Zachary Baum and Pavel-Dumitru Cernelev and Anthony N Hage and Christopher Schlenger and Gabor Fichtinger},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
pages = {680-685},
publisher = {IEEE},
abstract = {We explored ultrasound for imaging bones, specifically the spine, as a safer and more accessible alternative to conventional X-ray. We aimed to improve how well deep learning segmentation models filter bone signals from ultrasound frames with the goal of using these segmented images for reconstructing the 3-dimensional spine volume.Our dataset consisted of spatially tracked ultrasound scans from 25 patients. Image frames from these scans were also manually annotated to provide training data for image segmentation deep learning. To find the optimal automatic segmentation method, we assessed five different artificial neural network models and their variations by hyperparameter tuning. Our main contribution is a new approach for model selection, employing an Elo rating system to efficiently rank trained models based on their visual performance as assessed by clinical users. This method addresses the …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
We explored ultrasound for imaging bones, specifically the spine, as a safer and more accessible alternative to conventional X-ray. We aimed to improve how well deep learning segmentation models filter bone signals from ultrasound frames with the goal of using these segmented images for reconstructing the 3-dimensional spine volume.Our dataset consisted of spatially tracked ultrasound scans from 25 patients. Image frames from these scans were also manually annotated to provide training data for image segmentation deep learning. To find the optimal automatic segmentation method, we assessed five different artificial neural network models and their variations by hyperparameter tuning. Our main contribution is a new approach for model selection, employing an Elo rating system to efficiently rank trained models based on their visual performance as assessed by clinical users. This method addresses the …
Yang, Jianming; Hisey, Rebecca; Bierbrier, Joshua; Law, Christine; Fichtinger, Gabor; Holden, Matthew
Frame Selection Methods to Streamline Surgical Video Annotation for Tool Detection Tasks Journal Article
In: pp. 892-898, 2024.
@article{yang2024,
title = {Frame Selection Methods to Streamline Surgical Video Annotation for Tool Detection Tasks},
author = {Jianming Yang and Rebecca Hisey and Joshua Bierbrier and Christine Law and Gabor Fichtinger and Matthew Holden},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
pages = {892-898},
publisher = {IEEE},
abstract = {Given the growing volume of surgical data and the increasing demand for annotation, there is a pressing need to streamline the annotation process for surgical videos. Previously, annotation tools for object detection tasks have greatly evolved, reducing time expense and enhancing ease. There are also many initial frame selection approaches for Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted annotation tasks to further reduce human effort. However, these methods have rarely been implemented and reported in the context of surgical datasets, especially in cataract surgery datasets. The identification of initial frames to annotate before the use of any tools or algorithms determines annotation efficiency. Therefore, in this paper, we chose to prioritize the development of a method for selecting initial frames to facilitate the subsequent automated annotation process. We propose a customized initial frames selection method based on …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Given the growing volume of surgical data and the increasing demand for annotation, there is a pressing need to streamline the annotation process for surgical videos. Previously, annotation tools for object detection tasks have greatly evolved, reducing time expense and enhancing ease. There are also many initial frame selection approaches for Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted annotation tasks to further reduce human effort. However, these methods have rarely been implemented and reported in the context of surgical datasets, especially in cataract surgery datasets. The identification of initial frames to annotate before the use of any tools or algorithms determines annotation efficiency. Therefore, in this paper, we chose to prioritize the development of a method for selecting initial frames to facilitate the subsequent automated annotation process. We propose a customized initial frames selection method based on …
Barr, Colton; Groves, Leah; Ungi, Tamas; Siemens, D Robert; Diao, Babacar; Kikinis, Ron; Mousavi, Parvin; Fichtinger, Gabor
Extracting 3D Prostate Geometry from 2D Optically-Tracked Transrectal Ultrasound Images Journal Article
In: pp. 32-37, 2024.
@article{barr2024,
title = {Extracting 3D Prostate Geometry from 2D Optically-Tracked Transrectal Ultrasound Images},
author = {Colton Barr and Leah Groves and Tamas Ungi and D Robert Siemens and Babacar Diao and Ron Kikinis and Parvin Mousavi and Gabor Fichtinger},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
pages = {32-37},
publisher = {IEEE},
abstract = {The technical challenges of traditional transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy, combined with the limited availability of more advanced prostate imaging techniques, have exacerbated existing differences in prostate cancer outcomes between high-resource and low-resource healthcare settings. The objective of this paper is to improve the tools available to clinicians in low-resource settings by working towards an inexpensive ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy navigation system. The principal contributions detailed here are the design, implementation, and testing of a system capable of generating a 3D model of the prostate from spatially-tracked 2D ultrasound images. The system uses open-source software, low-cost materials, and deep learning to segment and localize cross-sections of the prostate in order to produce a patient-specific 3D prostate model. A user study was performed to evaluate the …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The technical challenges of traditional transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy, combined with the limited availability of more advanced prostate imaging techniques, have exacerbated existing differences in prostate cancer outcomes between high-resource and low-resource healthcare settings. The objective of this paper is to improve the tools available to clinicians in low-resource settings by working towards an inexpensive ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy navigation system. The principal contributions detailed here are the design, implementation, and testing of a system capable of generating a 3D model of the prostate from spatially-tracked 2D ultrasound images. The system uses open-source software, low-cost materials, and deep learning to segment and localize cross-sections of the prostate in order to produce a patient-specific 3D prostate model. A user study was performed to evaluate the …
Bumm, Rudolf; Zaffino, Paolo; Lasso, Andras; Estépar, Raúl San José; Pieper, Steven; Wasserthal, Jakob; Spadea, Maria Francesca; Latshang, Tsogyal; Kawel-Boehm, Nadine; Wäckerlin, Adrian; Werner, Raphael; Hässig, Gabriela; Furrer, Markus; Kikinis, Ron
Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted chest computer tomography (CT) insights: a study on intensive care unit (ICU) admittance trends in 78 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 … Journal Article
In: Journal of Thoracic Disease, vol. 16, no. 2, 2024.
@article{bumm2024,
title = {Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted chest computer tomography (CT) insights: a study on intensive care unit (ICU) admittance trends in 78 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 …},
author = {Rudolf Bumm and Paolo Zaffino and Andras Lasso and Raúl San José Estépar and Steven Pieper and Jakob Wasserthal and Maria Francesca Spadea and Tsogyal Latshang and Nadine Kawel-Boehm and Adrian Wäckerlin and Raphael Werner and Gabriela Hässig and Markus Furrer and Ron Kikinis},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Thoracic Disease},
volume = {16},
number = {2},
publisher = {AME Publishing Company},
abstract = {Background: The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed substantial challenges for healthcare systems, notably the increased demand for chest computed tomography (CT) scans, which lack automated analysis. Our study addresses this by utilizing artificial intelligence-supported automated computer analysis to investigate lung involvement distribution and extent in COVID-19 patients. Additionally, we explore the association between lung involvement and intensive care unit (ICU) admission, while also comparing computer analysis performance with expert radiologists’ assessments.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed substantial challenges for healthcare systems, notably the increased demand for chest computed tomography (CT) scans, which lack automated analysis. Our study addresses this by utilizing artificial intelligence-supported automated computer analysis to investigate lung involvement distribution and extent in COVID-19 patients. Additionally, we explore the association between lung involvement and intensive care unit (ICU) admission, while also comparing computer analysis performance with expert radiologists’ assessments.
Herz, Christian; Vergnet, Nicolas; Tian, Sijie; Aly, Abdullah H; Jolley, Matthew A; Tran, Nathanael; Arenas, Gabriel; Lasso, Andras; Schwartz, Nadav; O’Neill, Kathleen E; Yushkevich, Paul A; Pouch, Alison M
Open-source graphical user interface for the creation of synthetic skeletons for medical image analysis Journal Article
In: Journal of Medical Imaging, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 036001-036001, 2024.
@article{herz2024,
title = {Open-source graphical user interface for the creation of synthetic skeletons for medical image analysis},
author = {Christian Herz and Nicolas Vergnet and Sijie Tian and Abdullah H Aly and Matthew A Jolley and Nathanael Tran and Gabriel Arenas and Andras Lasso and Nadav Schwartz and Kathleen E O’Neill and Paul A Yushkevich and Alison M Pouch},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Medical Imaging},
volume = {11},
number = {3},
pages = {036001-036001},
publisher = {Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers},
abstract = {Purpose
Deformable medial modeling is an inverse skeletonization approach to representing anatomy in medical images, which can be used for statistical shape analysis and assessment of patient-specific anatomical features such as locally varying thickness. It involves deforming a pre-defined synthetic skeleton, or template, to anatomical structures of the same class. The lack of software for creating such skeletons has been a limitation to more widespread use of deformable medial modeling. Therefore, the objective of this work is to present an open-source user interface (UI) for the creation of synthetic skeletons for a range of medial modeling applications in medical imaging.
Approach
A UI for interactive design of synthetic skeletons was implemented in 3D Slicer, an open-source medical image analysis application. The steps in synthetic skeleton design include importation and skeletonization of a 3D …},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Purpose
Deformable medial modeling is an inverse skeletonization approach to representing anatomy in medical images, which can be used for statistical shape analysis and assessment of patient-specific anatomical features such as locally varying thickness. It involves deforming a pre-defined synthetic skeleton, or template, to anatomical structures of the same class. The lack of software for creating such skeletons has been a limitation to more widespread use of deformable medial modeling. Therefore, the objective of this work is to present an open-source user interface (UI) for the creation of synthetic skeletons for a range of medial modeling applications in medical imaging.
Approach
A UI for interactive design of synthetic skeletons was implemented in 3D Slicer, an open-source medical image analysis application. The steps in synthetic skeleton design include importation and skeletonization of a 3D …
Deformable medial modeling is an inverse skeletonization approach to representing anatomy in medical images, which can be used for statistical shape analysis and assessment of patient-specific anatomical features such as locally varying thickness. It involves deforming a pre-defined synthetic skeleton, or template, to anatomical structures of the same class. The lack of software for creating such skeletons has been a limitation to more widespread use of deformable medial modeling. Therefore, the objective of this work is to present an open-source user interface (UI) for the creation of synthetic skeletons for a range of medial modeling applications in medical imaging.
Approach
A UI for interactive design of synthetic skeletons was implemented in 3D Slicer, an open-source medical image analysis application. The steps in synthetic skeleton design include importation and skeletonization of a 3D …