Hirotaka Ishihara

Precision-guided surgical navigation system using laser guidance and 3D autostereoscopic image overlay

This paper describes a precision-guided surgical navigation system for minimally invasive surgery. The system combines a laser guidance technique with a three-dimensional (3D) autostereoscopic image overlay technique. Images of surgical anatomic structures superimposed onto the patient are created by employing an animated imaging method called integral videography (IV), which can display geometrically accurate 3D autostereoscopic images and reproduce motion parallax without the need for special viewing or tracking devices. To improve the placement accuracy of surgical instruments, we integrated an image overlay system with a laser guidance system for alignment of the surgical instrument and better visualization of patients internal structure. We fabricated a laser guidance device and mounted it on an IV image overlay device. Experimental evaluations showed that the system could guide a linear surgical instrument toward a target with an average error of 2.48 mm and standard deviation of 1.76 mm. Further improvement to the design of the laser guidance device and the patient-image registration procedure of the IV image overlay will make this system practical; its use would increase surgical accuracy and reduce invasiveness.

Parylene Mobile Microplates Integrated with an Enzymatic Release for Handling of Single Adherent Cells

An approach for manipulating single adherent cells is developed that is integrated with an enzymatic batch release. This strategy uses an array of releasable microfabricated mobile substrates, termed microplates, formed from a biocompatible polymer, parylene. A parylene microplate array of 10-70 μm in diameter can be formed on an alginate hydrogel sacrificial layer by using a standard photolithographic process. The parylene surfaces are modified with fibronectin to enhance cell attachment, growth, and stretching. To load single cells onto these microplates, cells are initially placed in suspension at an optimized seeding density and are allowed to settle, stretch, and grow on individual microplates. The sacrificial layer underneath the microplate array can be dissolved on a time-scale of several seconds without cytotoxicity. This system allows the inspection of selected single adherent cells. The ability to assess single cells while maintaining their adhesive properties will broaden the examination of a variety of attributes, such as cell shape and cytoskeletal properties.

Fusion of Laser Guidance and 3-D Autostereoscopic Image Overlay for Precision-Guided Surgery

This paper describes a precision-guided surgical navigation system for minimally invasive surgery using fusion of laser guidance technique and three-dimensional (3-D) autostereoscopic image overlay technique. The images superimposed onto the patient are created by employing an animated autostereoscopic image called integral videography (IV), which display geometrically accurate 3-D autostereoscopic images and reproduce motion parallax without the need for special viewing or tracking devices. To improve the insertion accuracy of surgical instrument, we integrated the image overlay system with laser guidance for visualization of insertion point and orientation of the surgical instrument. We designed and manufactured a laser guidance device and mounted it to the IV image overlay device. Accuracy evaluations showed that the system could guide a linear surgical instrument toward a target with an average error of 2.48 mm and standard deviation of 1.76 mm. Improvement in the design of the laser guidance device and the patient-image registration of the IV image overlay will make this system practical and its use will increase surgical accuracy and reduce invasiveness.

High-Resolution Vertical Observation of Intracellular Structure Using Magnetically Responsive Microplates

A vertical confocal observation system capable of high-resolution observation of intracellular structure is demonstrated. The system consists of magnet-active microplates to rotate, incline, and translate single adherent cells in the applied magnetic field. Appended to conventional confocal microscopes, this system enables high-resolution cross-sectional imaging with single-molecule sensitivity in single scanning.

Arraying Single Adherent Cells by Microplate Self-Assembly

This paper describes a method for handling a single adherent cell using a self-assembly technique. We produce microplates using Parylene with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic sides. We culture the cells on the hydrophilic side, and utilize the hydrophobic side to self-assemble the plates onto the hydrophobic regions. Culturing a single cell on each Parylene microplate facilitates their handling since we can manipulate them as floating cells, and easily relocate them without the loss of cellular activity. In our experiment, we assemble 50 ¿m circle microplates with adherent cells in an array.

Handling adherent cells with magnetically functionalized microplates

We present a cell handling method using magnetically functionalized microplates. Rectangular-shaped permalloy inside the microplates enables the plates to rotate or flip upside down by magnetic field. We conduct two kinds of cell handling experiments: (1) rotating cells for the precise positioning of cell nucleus and (2) flipping over the microplate for culturing different types of cells on both sides of the microplates. These demonstrations indicate that our handling method can be useful for single-cell-level manipulations and be a platform for a heterogeneous 3D co-culture system.