PhD Studentship: 3D Computer Vision-based Guidance System for Cardiac Interventional Procedures

About the Project

X-ray fluoroscopy is a type of medical imaging that shows a continuous X-ray image on a monitor. Surgeons use it to guide devices (e.g. catheters or guidewires) to the target area during minimally invasive heart surgery. However, X-ray images only give you 2D information and the extended duration of X-ray radiation exposure required during treatment is harmful. Recently, commercial electroanatomical mapping (EAM) systems have been developed to map electrophysiological activities within the heart and provide some 3D procedure guidance, along with X-ray fluoroscopic images. EAM systems use a weak magnetic field rather than X-ray radiation to guide the procedure but only allow for the reconstruction of low-resolution 3D models of the heart. 

In this PhD studentship you will develop a robust computer vision approach to detect key objects and create 3D models from real-time X-ray fluoroscopic images. Once the 3D models are created, the surgery could be guided only under an EAM system. You will work together with a post-doctoral researcher who is funded by a EPSRC project: “Three-dimensional hybrid guidance system for cardiac interventional procedures”. You will also work closely with Prof. Kawal Rhode in the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King’s College London. The project involves designing real-time object detection and tracking algorithms based on deep learning and you will access the start-of-art GPU cluster. 

You will collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team, which includes cardiologist consultants from St. Thomas Hospital London and University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. The project is partnered with Abbott Medical Ltd and aim to build a prototype towards the end of the project. Your work will have the potential to change how the cardiac minimally invasive surgeries are guided and reduce the X-ray radiation exposure for both patients and clinical staff. 

PRIMARY SUPERVISOR: Dr YingLiang Ma

Funding Details

This PhD studentship is funded for three years by the Faculty of Science. Funding comprises an annual stipend (£17,668 pa), home tuition fees and research costs. International applicants (EU/non-EU) are eligible for UEA funded studentships but are required to fund the difference between Home and International tuition fees (which detailed on the University’s fees pages at https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/university-information/finance-and-procurement/finance-information-for-students/tuition-fees)

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