Engineering Commons^™

Free-Hand Photoacoustic Imaging Of Breast Cancer Tissue, Elina Rascevska

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Approximately 19% of breast cancer patients undergoing breast conserving surgery (BCS) must return for a re-excision surgery due to positive margin reported by pathology. This problem is mainly associated with lack of intraoperative cancer margin assessment tools. Our previous work demonstrated that lipid-weighted photoacoustic imaging (PAI) can be used intraoperatively to successfully differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissue with high sensitivity. However, the technology was cumbersome and significantly prolonged the procedure time. The goal of this work was to develop a compact hand-held probe, working on lipid-weighted PAI principles, that can provide feedback during BSC without significantly altering the surgical …

Evaluating Eeg–Emg Fusion-Based Classification As A Method For Improving Control Of Wearable Robotic Devices For Upper-Limb Rehabilitation, Jacob G. Tryon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Musculoskeletal disorders are the biggest cause of disability worldwide, and wearable mechatronic rehabilitation devices have been proposed for treatment. However, before widespread adoption, improvements in user control and system adaptability are required. User intention should be detected intuitively, and user-induced changes in system dynamics should be unobtrusively identified and corrected. Developments often focus on model-dependent nonlinear control theory, which is challenging to implement for wearable devices.

One alternative is to incorporate bioelectrical signal-based machine learning into the system, allowing for simpler controller designs to be augmented by supplemental brain (electroencephalography/EEG) and muscle (electromyography/EMG) information. To extract user intention better, sensor …

Novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Compatible Mechatronic Needle Guidance System For Prostate Focal Laser Ablation Therapy, Eric R. Knull

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Advances in prostate cancer (PCa) screening techniques have led to diagnosis of many cases of low-grade and highly localized disease. Conventional whole-gland therapies often result in overtreatment in such cases and debate still surrounds the optimal method of oncologic control. MRI-guided prostate focal laser ablation (FLA) is a minimally invasive treatment option, which has demonstrated potential to destroy localized lesions while sparing healthy prostatic tissue, thereby reducing treatment-related side effects. Many challenges still exist in the development of FLA, including patient selection; tumour localization, visualization, and characterization; needle guidance; and evaluation of treatment efficacy. The objective of this thesis work …

Development And Validation Of Mechatronic Systems For Image-Guided Needle Interventions And Point-Of-Care Breast Cancer Screening With Ultrasound (2d And 3d) And Positron Emission Mammography, Claire Ks Park

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The successful intervention of breast cancer relies on effective early detection and definitive diagnosis. While conventional screening mammography has substantially reduced breast cancer-related mortalities, substantial challenges persist in women with dense breasts. Additionally, complex interrelated risk factors and healthcare disparities contribute to breast cancer-related inequities, which restrict accessibility, impose cost constraints, and reduce inclusivity to high-quality healthcare. These limitations predominantly stem from the inadequate sensitivity and clinical utility of currently available approaches in increased-risk populations, including those with dense breasts, underserved and vulnerable populations.

This PhD dissertation aims to describe the development and validation of alternative, cost-effective, robust, and high-resolution …