First-in-Man Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Revascularization of Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion Using a Wearable Computer: Proof of Concept.

We report a case of successful computed tomography-guided percutaneous revascularization of a chronically occluded right coronary artery using a wearable, hands-free computer with a head-mounted display worn by interventional cardiologists in the catheterization laboratory. The projection of 3-dimensional computed tomographic reconstructions onto the screen of virtual reality glass allowed the operators to clearly visualize the distal coronary vessel, and verify the direction of the guide wire advancement relative to the course of the occluded vessel segment. This case provides proof of concept that wearable computers can improve operator comfort and procedure efficiency in interventional cardiology.

Virtual phyllotaxis and real plant model cases.

Phyllotactic pattern results from genetic control of lateral primordia size (physiological or physical) relative to the size of organogenic lateral surface of shoot apical meristem (SAM). In order to understand the diversity of patterns and ontogenetic transitions of phyllotaxis we have developed a geometric model allowing changes of the above proportion in a computer simulation of SAM's growth. The results of serial simulations confirmed that many phyllotactic patterns (including most esoteric ones) and ontogenetic transitions known from real plant model cases can be easily obtained in silico. Properties of virtual patterns often deviated from those of ideal mathematical lattices but closely resembled those of the natural ones. This proved the assumptions of the model, such as initiation in the first available space or ontogenetic changes in primordia size, to be quite realistic. Confrontation of simulation results with some sequences of real phyllotactic patterns (case study Verbena) questions the autonomy of SAM in its organogenic activity and suggests the involvement of unknown signal positioning primordia in a non-random manner in the first available space.