Anatomy browser: A novel approach to visualization and integration of medical information

P. Golland, R. Kikinis, M. Halle, C. Umans, W. E. Grimson, M. E. Shenton, J. A. Richolt
Yearbook of Medical Informatics 2001
Pages 414-428
2001

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Abstract

In this paper, we present a novel technique for visualization of 3D surface models, as well as its implementation in a system called AnatomyBrowser. Using our approach, visualization of 3D surface models is performed in two separate steps: a pre-rendering step, in which the models are rendered and saved in a special format, and an actual display step, in which the nal result of rendering is generated using information from the pre-rendering step. While pre-rendering requires high-end graphics hardware, the nal image generation and display can be implemented e ciently in software. Moreover, our current implementation of AnatomyBrowser interface uses the Java programming language and can therefore be readily run on a wide range of systems, including low-end computers with no special graphics hardware. In addition to visualization of 3D models and 2D slices, AnatomyBrowser provides a rich set of annotation and cross-referencing capabilities. We demonstrate several possible applications for AnatomyBrowser, including interactive anatomy atlases, surgery planning and assistance in segmentation.

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Reference

Golland P, Kikinis R, Halle M, Umans C, Grimson WE, Shenton ME, Richolt JA. Anatomy browser: A novel approach to visualization and integration of medical information. In R Haux, C Kulikowski, eds., Yearbook of Medical Informatics 2001. Schattauer, Germany, 2001;414-428.

Grants

Mitsubishi, NSF IIS 9610249

Research area

brainatlas