− To facilitate training and planning for medical procedures such as prostate brachytherapy, we are developing an interactive simulation of needle insertion and radioactive seed implantation in soft tissues. We describe a new 2D dynamic FEM model based on a reduced set of scalar parameters such as needle friction, sharpness, and velocity, where the mesh is updated to maintain element boundaries...

BACKGROUND Traumatic placement of a needle during a neuraxial blockade has been related to many complications such as postdural puncture headache, trauma to neural structures and even spinal hematoma, causing permanent neurologic deficits. Although efforts to minimize the complications caused by traumatic neuraxial blockade have been made, nothing was found to be clear. The authors investigated...

BACKGROUND The reported incidence of transient neurological symptoms (TNS) after subarachnoid lidocaine administration is as high as 40%. We designed this clinical trial to determine the incidence of TNS with two different pencil-point spinal needles: one-orifice (Atraucan) and two-orifice (Eldor) spinal needles. METHODS Ninety-nine ASA physical status I or II patients undergoing surgical pro...

In this paper, high precision is achieved in bistable actuated parallel mechanisms using a method called Elastic Averaging. The method is applied to a robotic device for performing biopsy and treatment for prostate cancer therapy within the bore of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system. The analysis and simulations show that this methodology is able to accommodate the characteristics of die...

Local back pain and radiculopathy can be debilitating for sufferers of these conditions. There are a multitude of treatment modalities, ranging from conservative approaches such as bed rest, physical therapy and chiropractic manipulation, to more invasive options such as percutaneous spinal intervention (PSI) and surgery. We present here the techniques employed in the use of minimally invasive,...

A 33-yr-old man undergoing anorectal surgery developed cauda equina syndrome and bilateral profound hearing loss after single-injection spinal anesthesia with isobaric bupivacaine. There was no pain on needle placement. Neurologic assessment found impaired sensation to pinprick in the perineal region, lower extremity paralysis, and bowel and bladder incontinence. In addition, he developed a bil...

Postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is a significant complication of spinal anesthesia. There is considerable variability in the incidence of PDPH, which is affected by a number of factors including age, gender, pregnancy, and needle type and size. We present a case where a patient had PDPH after a spinal block with a deformed spinal needle due to calcified interspinous ligaments. We suggest, in...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Posterior cervical foraminotomy allows decompression of the nerve root with preservation of motion. A previously described endoscopic technique utilizes minimally invasive muscle splitting with routine outpatient discharge. PURPOSE The approach allows a modified tubular retraction system to be used with three-dimensional visualization and anterior/posterior fluoroscopic ima...