Daniel Burke

Advanced finite element mesh model of female SUI research during physical and daily activities

With a goal towards dynamic subject-specific mechanical characterization of the etiology of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in females during physical or daily activities, a finite element (FE) mesh model generation procedure has been developed to build the subject-specific FE model of the female pelvis from multiple high resolution magnetic resonance (MR) acquisitions with varying contrasts. The advanced female pelvis FE model was developed by using this procedure which consisted of over 35 anatomical parts including: 10 pelvic muscles, 10 pelvic ligaments, 6 pelvic bones, skin, fat tissue, bladder, urethra, uterus, vagina, colon, rectum, anus etc. basically all the major parts of the female pelvis. This comprehensive pelvis model is ready to be used to characterize relative relationships and structures during the physical activities that elicit SUI during activities of daily living.

Laser surgery simulation platform: Toward full-procedure training and rehearsal for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) therapy

Recently, photo-selective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) has been a popular alternative to the standard electrocautery - transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). Here we introduce a new training system for practicing the laser therapy by using a virtual reality (VR) simulator. To interactively and realistically simulate PVP on a virtual organ with an order of a quarter million elements, a few novel and practical solutions have been applied to handle the challenges in modeling tissue ablation, contact/collision and deformation; endoscopic instruments tracking, haptic rendering and a web/database curriculum management module are integrated into the system. Over 40 urologists and surgical experts have been invited nationally and participated in the system verification.

Web-accessible interactive software of 3D anatomy representing pathophysiological conditions to enhance the patient-consent process for procedures

Conveying to a patient the exact physical nature of a disease or procedure can be difficult. By establishing an access website, and using existing 3D viewer software along with our expanding set of anatomical models, we can provide an interface to manipulate realistic, 3D models of common anatomical ailments, chosen from a database frequently updated at the request of the medical community. Physicians will be able to show patients exactly what their condition looks like internally, and explain in better detail how a procedure will be performed.

Virtual trainer for intra-detrusor injection of botulinum toxin to treat urinary incontinence.

Here we introduce a new virtual reality (VR) based simulation system for training the urological procedure of intra-detrusor botulinum toxin (Botox®) injections into the bladder. 6 cases with different bladder anatomy and 3 subtasks are included in the curriculum; this design is guided by several expert urologists according to clinical needs and experience. These virtual bladder models can be deformed by a cystoscope model or penetrated by a needle model. Data of location and dose per injection are collected during the training. After compared among various options, magnetic motion-tracking devices are chosen and integrated onto replicas of cystoscopic instruments as the VR interface for the specific operation. A web/database based learning management platform (LMP) is developed for online data access and validation studies of the training system.

The Minnesota pelvic trainer: a hybrid VR/physical pelvis for providing virtual mentorship.

Obtaining accurate understanding of three dimensional structures and their relationships is important in learning human anatomy. To leverage the learning advantages of using both physical and virtual models, we built a hybrid platform consisting of virtual and mannequin pelvis, motion tracking interface, anatomy and pathology knowledge base. The virtual mentorship concept is to allow learners to conveniently manipulate and explore the virtual pelvic structures through the mannequin model and VR interface, and practice on anatomy identification tasks and pathology quizzes more intuitively and interactively than in a traditional self-study classroom, and to reduce the demands of access to dissection lab or wet lab.

A New Design for Airway Management Training with Mixed Reality and High Fidelity Modeling.

Restoring airway function is a vital task in many medical scenarios. Although various simulation tools have been available for learning such skills, recent research indicated that fidelity in simulating airway management deserves further improvements. In this study, we designed and implemented a new prototype for practicing relevant tasks including laryngoscopy, intubation and cricothyrotomy. A large amount of anatomical details or landmarks were meticulously selected and reconstructed from medical scans, and 3D-printed or molded to the airway intervention model. This training model was augmented by virtually and physically presented interactive modules, which are interoperable with motion tracking and sensor data feedback. Implementation results showed that this design is a feasible approach to develop higher fidelity airway models that can be integrated with mixed reality interfaces.

Phenomenological model of laser-tissue interaction with application to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) simulation.

Laser-tissue interaction is a multi-physics phenomenon not yet mathematically describable and computationally predictable. It is a challenge to model the laser-tissue interaction for real time laser Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) simulation which requires the laser-tissue interaction model to be computationally efficient and accurate. Under the consideration and enforcement of the thermodynamic first law and treating the laser-tissue interaction as a gray-box, utilizing the sensitivity analysis of some key parameters that will affect the laser intensity on the tissue surface with respect to the tissue vaporization rate, a phenomenological model of laser-tissue interaction is developed. The developed laser-tissue interaction model has been implemented for a laser BPH simulator and achieves real time performance (more than 30 frames per second). The model agrees well with the available experimental data.