An instrument system that includes an image capture device, an elongate body, an optical fiber and a controller is provided. The elongate body is operatively coupled to the image capture device. The optical fiber is operatively coupled to the elongate body and has a strain sensor provided on the optical fiber. The controller is operatively coupled to the optical fiber and adapted to receive a signal from the strain sensor and to determine a position or orientation of the image capture device based on the signal.

Disclosed are systems, apparatuses and methods for recording images of one or more selected anatomical features, and to facilitate re-orientation and/or re-positioning of such images to one or more desired positions.

A system for automated navigation to a target neuron is disclosed. The system comprises a recording electrode including a pipette with a hollow glass tip and a headstage for detecting electrical resistance measurements at the glass tip. The system further comprises an actuator, a light source configured to emit light from the glass tip, an ultrasound transducer for detecting photoacoustic signals in response to the light, a light sensor for detecting optical signals in response to the light, and a processor. The processor iteratively receives the photoacoustic and optical feedback and moves the glass tip via the actuator based on a calculated distance of the target neuron. When the distance at or below a predetermined threshold, the processor maintains the position of the hollow glass tip with respect to the target neuron. Upon successful navigation, the recording electrode may be used to perform single-unit neural recording of the target neuron.

A method of determining brain stimulation parameters includes applying Low Frequency Stimulation (LFS) to a contact of a multi-contact electrode implanted in a target structure in an individual's brain. Evoked Compound Activity (ECA) evoked in the target structure by the LFS is measured. A range of frequencies for delivering brain stimulation within a predetermined range based on a phase space extracted from the ECA is determined. Stimulation frequencies are applied to the contact of the multi-contact electrode within the determined range of frequencies. High Frequency Oscillations (HFO) evoked in the target structure by the applied stimulation frequencies within the determined range are measured. A frequency evoking HFO above a predetermined threshold is determined. The determined frequency is selected as a treatment frequency for the target structure.

A method of locating an implantation site in the brain includes inserting a plurality of multi-contact electrodes into a region of a target structure in an individual's brain. High Frequency Stimulation (HFS) is applied to a contact of a multi-contact electrode of the plurality of multi-contact electrodes. High Frequency Oscillations (HFO) evoked in the region of the target structure by the HFS are measured. Evoked Compound Activity (ECA) evoked in the region of the target structure by the HFS is measured. It is determined if at least one of the HFO and the ECA is above a predetermined threshold. If at least one of the HFO and the ECA is above the predetermined threshold, a location of the contact of the multi-contact electrode is identified as a site for electrode implantation in the individual's brain.

A vascular closure device (20) having a proximal end and a distal end is described. The vascular closure device may include an insertion sheath (28), a handle, and a locator anchor (38) positionable distally outside a distal end of the insertion sheath when the handle is in a first position. The handle may be movable from the first position to a second position located proximally relative to the first position, the locator anchor being configured to expand laterally when the handle is moved from the first position to the second position. Additionally, the handle may be movable from the second position to a third position located proximally relative to the second position to deploy a vascular closure implant in a puncture tract. A vascular closure method is also disclosed.

The present embodiments relate to detecting multiple landmarks in medical images. By way of introduction, the present embodiments described below include apparatuses and methods for detecting landmarks using hierarchical feature learning with end-to-end training. Multiple neural networks are provided with convolutional layers for extracting features from medical images and with a convolutional layer for learning spatial relationships between the extracted features. Each neural network is trained to detect different landmarks using a different resolution of the medical images, and the convolutional layers of each neural network are trained together with end-to-end training to learn appearance and spatial configuration simultaneously. The trained neural networks detect multiple landmarks in a test image iteratively by detecting landmarks at different resolutions, using landmarks detected a lesser resolutions to detect additional landmarks at higher resolutions.

A contact detection instrument 1 is provided with a rod 12, a tip sensor portion 20 that is attached to one end of the rod 12 and is inserted into a living body through a hole, a speaker 14 that, from outside the living body, inputs a sound into a hollow space that is formed in the interior of the rod 12 and the tip sensor portion 20, and a microphone 15 that, outside the living body, outputs an electrical signal that corresponds to the sound inside the hollow space, with the tip sensor portion 20 including an elastic material that covers the hollow space.

Tactile sensing devices, systems, and methods to image a target tissue location are disclosed. When force is applied to the tactile sensing device, voltage data is detected and visualized on a screen, indicating the target tissue location.

A detector and inclusion location method that uses a reconstruction technique to target and localize sparse small-sized but high-contrast objects, such as a tumor inside tissue. The reconstruction technique applied, can dramatically enhance the property contrast of the tumors or abnormal inclusions by ten to one hundred fold. The reconstruction technique enables the use of nonlinear imaging ill-posed techniques that are function-oriented imaging techniques without any need for structural prior knowledge.