In this paper we investigate the possibility of processing the tactile perception by using a novel biomimetic approach for the pattern recognition module. The goal is to enhance the perception in complex virtual environments deriving from haptic displays mimicking human tactile discrimination. To do this we explored a Minimally Invasive Surgery application where the tactile information are stri...

Endoscopic radial artery harvesting (ERAH) is a feasible and attractive minimally invasive approach for conduit procurement, however there have been concerns about a potential neurological damage occurring at the harvest limb site secondary to injury of the radial nerve during endoscopic harvesting. We present a case of ERAH in which we evaluated intraoperatively the characteristics of radial n...

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BACKGROUND Our working hypothesis was that minimally invasive surgery was superior to conventional surgery for total hip arthroplasty procedure. We compared THR results in the minimally invasive posterior approach with THR results in the conventional posterior approach. METHODS Prospective, randomised trial. Fifty patients were selected and then divided into two groups based on treatment (min...

Aortic valve disease is a prevalent disorder that affects approximately 2% of the general adult population. Surgical aortic valve replacement is the gold standard treatment for symptomatic patients. This treatment has demonstrably proven to be both safe and effective. Over the last few decades, in an attempt to reduce surgical trauma, different minimally invasive approaches for aortic valve rep...

One of the main reasons for slow acceptance of minimally invasive surgery in paediatrics has been the lack of availability of appropriate instruments and equipment. Insufflators with very slow flow rates (0.1 l/m) and low pressures (6 8 mmHg), instruments with smaller diameter (2 3 mm) and short length (20 cm) had to become commercially available. Today instruments ranging from needle holders t...

The successful outcome of any minimally invasive procedure is highly dependent on the imaging chain, as the medical team has to rely on indirect visualization of the surgical field during the entire procedure. During the last decade, the quality of the images obtainable preand intraoperatively has evolved significantly. In addition to the introduction of intra-operative image acquisition techni...