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Mixed-Reality Visualization Environments To Facilitate Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access, Leah Groves

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Ultrasound-guided needle insertions at the site of the internal jugular vein (IJV) are routinely performed to access the central venous system. Ultrasound-guided insertions maintain high rates of carotid artery puncture, as clinicians rely on 2D information to perform a 3D procedure. The limitations of 2D ultrasound-guidance motivated the research question: “Do 3D ultrasound-based environments improve IJV needle insertion accuracy”. We addressed this by developing advanced surgical navigation systems based on tracked surgical tools and ultrasound with various visualizations. The point-to-line ultrasound calibration enables the use of tracked ultrasound. We automated the fiducial localization required for this calibration method such that …