Fall 2023 WashU ESE Senior Design Capstone
Seif Elkhashab, Mark Charnot, Xiangping Ouyang
Project Overview
Abstract
Under the advisory of Dr. Dorothy Wang, this capstone will develop a spinal navigation system, which can model a real spine in a virtual environment. Using this model, orthopedic surgeons can assess a patient’s misaligned bones during the corrective procedure, rather than waiting for post-surgery CT scan results. The surgeon can make alignments using the virtual model, where attributes like desired length, relative angle, and rotation can be compared to the patient’s real-time measurements. This tool gives surgeons the ability to complete the procedure in a more efficient manner, eliminating the time and cost of using CT Scans to determine if the surgery goals have been met. Dr. Nicholas Pallotta from the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis is providing all the necessary equipment required for this development, including patient CT scans, the NDI Cygna-6D camera, three-dimensional markers for the camera to register, and a life-like spine model. The camera will be coded to detect a minimum of two markers that are drilled or clipped onto the spine. From here, these points will be registered in 3D space, where linear operators will be used to determine the translational and rotational distances between them. Finally, a pre-surgery CT scan will be used as an input, such that image processing can be used to create an exact relation between the vertebrae and the three-dimensional markers.
Objectives of the Project:
In order to create a relationship between the 3D trackers and the bones, there are several objectives that must be met. These objectives are listed below:
- Create a program to classify the 3D trackers within a CT scan.
- Create a program to classify bones within a CT scan.
- Create a program that uses the bone and tracker locations as input, and returns the linear transformation needed to relate the trackers to the bone.
Partner and Advisor
Partner: Dr. Nicholas Pallotta, Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis
Advisor: Dr. Dorothy Wang, Lecturer in the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis