Abstract-Narrowband multiple -input -multiple -output (MIMO) measurements using 16 transmitters and 16 receivers at 2.11 GHz were carried out in Manhattan. High capacities were found for full, as well as smaller array configurations, all within 80% of the fully scattering channel capacity. Correlation model parameters are derived from data. Spatial MIMO channel capacity statistics are found to be well represented by the separate transmitter and receiver correlation matrices, with a median relative error in capacity of 3%, in contrast with the 18% median relative error observed by assuming the antennas to be uncorrelated. A reduced parameter model, consisting of 4 parameters, has been developed to statistically represent the channel correlation matrices. These correlation matrices are, in turn, used to generate matrices with capacities that are consistent within a few percent of those measured in New York. The spatial channel model reported allows simulations of matrices for arbitrary antenna configurations. These channel matrices may be used to test receiver algorithms in system performance studies. These results may also be used for antenna array design, as the decay of mobile antenna correlation with antenna separation has been reported here. An important finding for the base transmitter array was that the antennas were largely uncorrelated even at antenna separations as small as two wavelengths.

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In this study a computer aided navigation technique for accurate positioning of oral implants was assessed. An optical tracking system with specially designed tools for monitoring the position of surgical instruments relative to the patient was used to register 5 partially or completely edentulous jaw models. Besides the accuracy of the tracking system, the precision of localizing a specific position on 3-dimensional preoperative imagery is governed by the registration algorithm which conveys the coordinate system of the preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan to the actual patient position. Two different point-to-point registration algorithms were compared for their suitability for this application. The accuracy was determined separately for the localization error of the position measurement hardware (fiducial localization error-FLE) and the error as reported by the registration algorithm (fiducial registration error-FRE). The overall error of the navigation procedure was determined as the localization error of additional landmarks (steel spheres, 0.5 mm diameter) after registration (target registration error-TRE). Images of the jaw models were obtained using a high resolution CT scan (1.5 mm slice thickness, 1 mm table feed, incremental scanning, 120 kV, 150 mAs, 512 x 512 matrix, FOV 120 mm). The accuracy of the position measurement probes was 0.69 +/- 0.15 mm (FLE). Using 3 implanted fiducial markers, FRE was 0.71 +/- 0.12 mm on average and 1.00 +/- 0.13 mm maximum. TRE was found to be 1.23 +/- 0.28 mm average and 1.87 +/- 0.47 mm maximum. Increasing the number of fiducial markers to a total of 5 did not significantly improve precision. Furthermore it was found that a registration algorithm based on solving an eigenvalue problem is the superior approach for point-to-point matching in terms of mathematical stability. The experimental results indicate that positioning accuracy of oral implants may benefit from computer aided intraoperative navigation. The accuracy achieved compares well to the resolution of the CT scan used. Further development of point-to-point/point-to-surface registration methods and tracking hardware has the potential to improve the precision of the method even further. Our system has potential to reduce the intraoperative risk of causing damage to critical anatomic structures, to minimize the efforts in prosthetic modelling, and to simplify the task of transferring preoperative planning data precisely to the operating room in general.

Computer-aided surgery (CAS), the intraoperative application of biomedical visualization techniques, appears to be one of the most promising fields of application for augmented reality (AR), the display of additional computer-generated graphics over a real-world scene. Typically a device such as a head-mounted display (HMD) is used for AR. However, considerable technical problems connected with AR have limited the intraoperative application of HMDs up to now. One of the difficulties in using HMDs is the requirement for a common optical focal plane for both the realworld scene and the computer-generated image, and acceptance of the HMD by the user in a surgical environment. In order to increase the clinical acceptance of AR, we have adapted the Varioscope (Life Optics, Vienna), a miniature, cost-effective head-mounted operating binocular, for AR. In this paper, we present the basic design of the modified HMD, and the method and results of an extensive laboratory study for photogrammetric calibration of the Varioscope's computer displays to a real-world scene. In a series of 16 calibrations with varying zoom factors and object distances, mean calibration error was found to be 1.24 +/- 0.38 pixels or 0.12 +/- 0.05 mm for a 640 x 480 display. Maximum error accounted for 3.33 +/- 1.04 pixels or 0.33 +/- 0.12 mm. The location of a position measurement probe of an optical tracking system was transformed to the display with an error of less than 1 mm in the real world in 56% of all cases. For the remaining cases, error was below 2 mm. We conclude that the accuracy achieved in our experiments is sufficient for a wide range of CAS applications.

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Endosteal implants facilitate obturator prosthesis fixation in tumor patients after maxillectomy. Previous clinical studies have shown, however, that the survival of implants placed into available bone after maxillectomy is generally poor. Nevertheless, implants positioned optimally in residual zygomatic bone provide superior stability from a biomechanical point of view. In a pilot study, the authors assessed the precision of VISIT, a computer-aided surgical navigation system dedicated to the placement of endosteal implants in the maxillofacial area. Five cadaver specimens underwent hemimaxillectomy. The cadaver head was matched to a preoperative high-resolution computed tomograph by using implanted surgical microscrews as fiducial markers. The position of a surgical drill relative to the cadaver head was determined with an optical tracking system. Implants were placed into the zygomatic arch, where maximum bone volume was available. The results were assessed using tests for localization accuracy and postoperative computed tomographic scans of the cadaver specimens. The localization accuracy of landmarks on the bony skull was 0.6 +/- 0.3 mm (average +/- SD), as determined with a 5-df pointer probe; the localization accuracy of the tip of the implant burr was 1.7 +/- 0.4 mm. The accuracy of the implant position compared with the planned position was 1.3 +/- 0.8 mm for the external perforation of the zygoma and 1.7 +/-1.3 mm for the internal perforation. Eight of 10 implants were inserted with maximal contact to surrounding bone, and two implants were located unfavorably. Reliable placement of implants in this region is difficult to achieve. The technique described in this article may be very helpful in the management of patients after maxillary resection with poor support for obturator prostheses.

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