[MINC-users] Research Topic – Frontiers in Computer-aided therapy of the central and peripheral nervous systems

[Audette, Michel A.]

Dear MINC users and community,


please consider submitting to the upcoming Frontiers Research Topic below.


Research Topic – Frontiers in Computer-aided therapy of the central and peripheral nervous systems


Submission Deadlines
29 April 2016 Abstract
28 October 2016 Manuscript


Topic Editors

Justin Schultz Cetas, M.D.
Oregon Health & Science University


Michel Audette, Ph.D.,
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, USA


Computer assistance technologies have revolutionized neurosurgical practice by building on advances in medical imaging, medical image analysis, surgical navigation, robotics and simulation. Moreover, computer-aided neurological surgery and therapy, defined in a broad sense, are continuing to make great strides, which has an impact on the outcome of patients afflicted with myriad disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). This research topic will address clinically transformative neurological therapies that center on the CNS and PNS. In a manner that befits the multidisciplinary challenges that characterize these innovations, the editors and contributors to this online publication will be both physicians and engineers. While there may be overlap with other online publications, including Frontiers journals, the emphasis will be on the practical improvement on patient outcome through technological advances on therapies targeting the CNS and PNS.


These research topics will include the following areas:

• Descriptive surgery planning and navigation, which in particular improve on commercially available technologies.
• Surgical robotics that center on stable, accurate delivery of therapies to the CNS or PNS.
• Medical simulation for training and device development, with an emphasis on therapies of the CNS and PNS.
• Innovations in medical imaging that promise to transform how we visualize neuroanatomy, with a particular impact on neurological treatment.
• Medical image analysis algorithms with a transformative impact on neurological surgery and therapy.
• Computer-assisted radiation therapy targeting the nervous system.


While these topics may seem diverse, in reality they are all facets of a similar thrust in Neurosurgery to combine rapidly improving imaging modalities with powerful and expanding computing power to model, plan and treat neurological disease through smaller surgical corridors and less morbidity to surrounding structures such as blood vessels, functional brain, fiber tracts cranial nerves and so forth. Another way to phrase the overarching theme is that the application of computers to neurosurgery will allow us to plan and treat individual patients based on their unique functional anatomy and thereby reduce surgical morbidity and improve outcomes. Combining these different applications of computer assistance technologies in one place will, hopefully, allow for cross-fertilization across disciplines.


Best wishes,

Michel

Michel Audette, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor,
Department of Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Engineering,
Old Dominion University,
Norfolk, VA.