title: Ultrasound-based tracking strategy for endoluminal devices in cardiovascular surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Magnetic endovascular navigation of wireless or soft-tethered endoluminal devices was recently proposed in the literature. This approach allows for innovative therapeutic procedures, but developing a real-time tracking strategy, compatible with magnetic dragging, is a challenging problem and is not yet solved.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-dimensional (2D) imaging ultrasound (US)-based tracking algorithms applied to a platform for cardiovascular treatment, i.e. the MicroVAST platform, were implemented and tested for deriving the optimal strategy for tracking endovascular devices dragged by magnetic locomotion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The algorithm, based on the combination of Shi-Tomasi features detector, Lucas-Kanade features tracking and watershed segmentation technique, was demonstrated to be the most reliable and accurate solution for the implementation of the tracking strategy of soft-tethered endoluminal devices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results encourage the development of US-based tracking algorithms for endoluminal devices in cardiovascular surgery, paving the way to a robust three-dimensional (3D) imaging US-based tracking strategy implementation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mura
authors.affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Gastone
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciuti
authors.affiliation: EndoCAS Center, University of Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dario
authors.affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menciassi
keywords: cardiovascular intervention; robotic magnetic guidance; robotic-assisted surgery; soft-tethered endoluminal device; ultrasound tracking