The worlds most frequent aesthetic surgical procedure - breast augmentation: facts and myths.

Breast augmentation is the most frequent aesthetic surgery operation in the world. In most cases it highly rises up patients self-confidence. Even its not really a difficult surgical procedure, it can bring many postoperative complications which can cause frustration for both patient and surgeon. Keywords: breast augmentation, breast implant, complication.

Separation of overlapping dental arch objects using digital records of illuminated plaster casts.

BACKGROUND: Plaster casts of individual patients are important for orthodontic specialists during the treatment process and their analysis is still a standard diagnostical tool. But the growing capabilities of information technology enable their replacement by digital models obtained by complex scanning systems. METHOD: This paper presents the possibility of using a digital camera as a simple instrument to obtain the set of digital images for analysis and evaluation of the treatment using appropriate mathematical tools of image processing. The methods studied in this paper include the segmentation of overlapping dental bodies and the use of different illumination sources to increase the reliability of the separation process. The circular Hough transform, region growing with multiple seed points, and the convex hull detection method are applied to the segmentation of orthodontic plaster cast images to identify dental arch objects and their sizes. RESULTS: The proposed algorithm presents the methodology of improving the accuracy of segmentation of dental arch components using combined illumination sources. Dental arch parameters and distances between the canines and premolars for different segmentation methods were used as a measure to compare the results obtained. CONCLUSION: A new method of segmentation of overlapping dental arch components using digital records of illuminated plaster casts provides information with the precision required for orthodontic treatment. The distance between corresponding teeth was evaluated with a mean error of 1.38% and the Dice similarity coefficient of the evaluated dental bodies boundaries reached 0.9436 with a false positive rate [Formula: see text] and false negative rate [Formula: see text].

Motion tracking and gait feature estimation for recognising Parkinson's disease using MS Kinect.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of gait features provides important information during the treatment of neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease. It is also used to observe the effects of medication and rehabilitation. The methodology presented in this paper enables the detection of selected gait attributes by Microsoft (MS) Kinect image and depth sensors to track movements in three-dimensional space. METHODS: The experimental part of the paper is devoted to the study of three sets of individuals: 18 patients with Parkinson's disease, 18 healthy aged-matched individuals, and 15 students. The methodological part of the paper includes the use of digital signal-processing methods for rejecting gross data-acquisition errors, segmenting video frames, and extracting gait features. The proposed algorithm describes methods for estimating the leg length, normalised average stride length (SL), and gait velocity (GV) of the individuals in the given sets using MS Kinect data. RESULTS: The main objective of this work involves the recognition of selected gait disorders in both the clinical and everyday settings. The results obtained include an evaluation of leg lengths, with a mean difference of 0.004 m in the complete set of 51 individuals studied, and of the gait features of patients with Parkinson's disease (SL: 0.38 m, GV: 0.61 m/s) and an age-matched reference set (SL: 0.54 m, GV: 0.81 m/s). Combining both features allowed for the use of neural networks to classify and evaluate the selectivity, specificity, and accuracy. The achieved accuracy was 97.2 %, which suggests the potential use of MS Kinect image and depth sensors for these applications. CONCLUSIONS: Discussion points include the possibility of using the MS Kinect sensors as inexpensive replacements for complex multi-camera systems and treadmill walking in gait-feature detection for the recognition of selected gait disorders.

Further developments in the twisted-toe technique for isolated thumb reconstruction: our method of choice.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic loss of the thumb is devastating. Toe-to-hand transfer is considered the criterion standard of reconstruction but is associated with donor-site issues. The twisted-toe technique uses parts from the great toe and the second toe, which allows for almost anatomical restoration of the donor foot. The authors present their experience and technical modifications of this method. METHODS: Between January of 2003 and November of 2011, 18 patients suffering from loss of thumb because of a variety of indications were treated with the authors' modification of the twisted-toe technique. The neothumb was constructed with a partial onychocutaneous flap from the great toe and an osseotendinous flap from the second toe. RESULTS: Of 18 transplanted twisted-toe flaps, 17 survived completely (5.6 percent flap loss rate). Similarity of the reconstructed thumb compared with the healthy side was very acceptable in all cases. All patients in whom the procedure was successful were able to use the neothumb in daily life without constraints. Reconstruction of the donor site yielded very acceptable outcomes with a distinct reduction in morbidity and disfigurement compared with conventional toe harvest. CONCLUSIONS: The modified twisted-toe technique is the authors' preferred choice of thumb reconstruction. It allows the reconstructive surgeon to construct a very natural-appearing neothumb with good stability and grip force. In addition, it eliminates many of the donor-site problems associated with pure great toe harvest, by recreating a "neo-great toe" at the donor foot. Although the procedure is more complicated and time-consuming compared with single toe harvest, the authors firmly believe that this extra effort takes thumb reconstruction to a next level. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.