Fusion systems on a Sylow p-subgroup of SU4(p)

OBJECTIVERecent advances in computer vision have revolutionized many aspects of society but have yet to find significant penetrance in neurosurgery. One proposed use for this technology is to aid in the identification of implanted spinal hardware. In revision operations, knowing the manufacturer and model of previously implanted fusion systems upfront can facilitate a faster and safer procedure, but this information is frequently unavailable or incomplete. The authors present one approach for the automated, high-accuracy classification of anterior cervical hardware fusion systems using computer vision.METHODSPatient records were searched for those who underwent anterior-posterior (AP) cervical radiography following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) at the authors’ institution over a 10-year period (2008–2018). These images were then cropped and windowed to include just the cervical plating system. Images were then labeled with the appropriate manufacturer and system according to the operative record. A computer vision classifier was then constructed using the bag-of-visual-words technique and KAZE feature detection. Accuracy and validity were tested using an 80%/20% training/testing pseudorandom split over 100 iterations.RESULTSA total of 321 total images were isolated containing 9 different ACDF systems from 5 different companies. The correct system was identified as the top choice in 91.5% ± 3.8% of the cases and one of the top 2 or 3 choices in 97.1% ± 2.0% and 98.4 ± 13% of the cases, respectively. Performance persisted despite the inclusion of variable sizes of hardware (i.e., 1-level, 2-level, and 3-level plates). Stratification by the size of hardware did not improve performance.CONCLUSIONSA computer vision algorithm was trained to classify at least 9 different types of anterior cervical fusion systems using relatively sparse data sets and was demonstrated to perform with high accuracy. This represents one of many potential clinical applications of machine learning and computer vision in neurosurgical practice.

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Information Quality Assessment for Data Fusion Systems

Data ◽

10.3390/data6060060 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. 60

Author(s):

Miguel A. Becerra ◽

Catalina Tobón ◽

Andrés Eduardo Castro-Ospina ◽

Diego H. Peluffo-Ordóñez

Keyword(s):

Data Fusion ◽

Information Quality ◽

Engineering Process ◽

Comprehensive Description ◽

Research Issues ◽

Fusion Systems ◽

General Data ◽

Fusion Engineering ◽

And Performance ◽

Key Aspects

This paper provides a comprehensive description of the current literature on data fusion, with an emphasis on Information Quality (IQ) and performance evaluation. This literature review highlights recent studies that reveal existing gaps, the need to find a synergy between data fusion and IQ, several research issues, and the challenges and pitfalls in this field. First, the main models, frameworks, architectures, algorithms, solutions, problems, and requirements are analyzed. Second, a general data fusion engineering process is presented to show how complex it is to design a framework for a specific application. Third, an IQ approach, as well as the different methodologies and frameworks used to assess IQ in information systems are addressed; in addition, data fusion systems are presented along with their related criteria. Furthermore, information on the context in data fusion systems and its IQ assessment are discussed. Subsequently, the issue of data fusion systems’ performance is reviewed. Finally, some key aspects and concluding remarks are outlined, and some future lines of work are gathered.

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