A Realistic Model of Human Structure from the Visible Human Data

 

 Buy Article Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

The computer-based 3D models of the human body reported to date suffer from poor spatial resolution. The Visible Human project has delivered high resolution cross-sectional images that are suited for generation of high-quality models. Yet none of the 3D models described to date reflect the quality of the original images. We present a method of segmentation and visualization which provides a new quality of realism and detail. Using the example of a 3D model of the inner organs, we demonstrate that such models, especially when combined with a knowledge base, open new possibilities for scientific, educational, and clinical work.

• References

• 1 Spitzer V, Ackerman M, Scherzinger A, Withlock D. The Visible Human Male: A Technical Report. J Am Med Inform Assoc 1996; 3, 2: 118-30.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 2 Ackerman MJ. The Visible Human Project: a resource for anatomical visualization. Medinfo 1998; 9, 2: 1030-2.
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 3 Spitzer VM, Whitlock DG. The Visible Human Data Set: the anatomical platform for human simulation. Anat Rec 1998; 253, 2: 49-57.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 4 Höhne KH, Pflesser B, Pommert A. et al. A new representation of knowledge concerning human anatomy and function. Nature Med 1995; 1, 6: 506-11.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 5 Rosse C, Mejino J, Modayur B. et al. Motivation and organizational principles for anatomical knowledge representation: the digital anatomist symbolic knowledge base. J Am Med Inform Assoc 1998; 5, 1: 17-40.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 6 Golland P, Kikinis R, Halle M. et al. Anatomy Browser, A novel approach to visual-isation and integration of medical information. Comput Aided Surg 1999; 4: 129-43.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 7 Herman GT, Liu HK. Display of three-dimensional information in computed tomography. J Comput Assist Tomogr 1977; 1: 155-60.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 8 Höhne KH, Bernstein R. Shading 3D-images from CT using gray level gradients’,. IEEE Trans Med Imaging 1986; 5 (Suppl. 01) 45-7.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 9 Levoy M. Display of surfaces from volume data. IEEE Comput Graphics and Appl 1988; 8 (Suppl. 03) 29-37.
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 10 Tiede U, Bomans M, Höhne KH, Pommert A, Kikinis R. et al. Investigation of medical 3D rendering algorithms. IEEE Comput Graphics Appl 1990; 10, 2: 41-53.
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 11 Stewart JE, Broaddus WC, Johnson JH. Rebuilding the Visible Man. In: Höhne KH, Kikinis R. eds. Proceedings of the Conference on Visualization in Biomedical Computing. 1996, Sep 22-25 Hamburg, Germany.: Springer-Verlag; Berlin, Heidelberg, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 1996. 1131: 81-5.
  Google Scholar
• 12 Mullick R, Nguyen HT. Visualization and labeling of the Visible Data set: Challenges and resolves. In: Höhne KH, Kikinis R. eds. Proceedings of the Conference on Visualization in Biomedical Computing. 1996, Sep 22-25; Hamburg, Germany. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 1996. 1131 75.
  Google Scholar
• 13 Soliz E, Schmidt H, Thumann R, Venuti J, Wacholder N, Villamil R. ⁶⁶Vesalius Project creating a computer based anatomy curriculum”, Proceedings of the Second User Conference of the National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Project,. October 1, 1998. Bethesda, MD.:
  Google Scholar
• 14 Schiemann T, Tiede U, Höhne KH. Segmentation of the Visible Human for high quality volume based visualization. Med Image Anal 1997; 1, 4: 263-71.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 15 Schubert R, Höhne KH, Pommert A, Riemer M, Schiemann T, Tiede U. Spatial knowledge representation for visualization of human anatomy and function. In: Barrett HH, Gmitro AF. eds. Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Information Processing in Medical Imaging; 1993 Jun 14-18;. Flagstaff, Arizona: Springer-Verlag; Berlin, Heidelberg, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 1993. 687: 168-81.
  Google Scholar
• 16 Pommert A, Schubert R, Riemer M, Schie-mann T, Tiede U, Höhne KH. Symbolic modeling of human anatomy for visualization and simulation in Visualization in Biomedical Computing 1994),. In: Proceedings SPIE 2359. Robb RA. ed. Rochester; 1994: 412-23.
  Google Scholar
• 17 Schubert R. Räumlich-Symbolische Computermodelle der Anatomie, Habilitationsschrift. Universität Hamburg: 2000
  Google Scholar
• 18 de Keizer NF, Abu-Hanna A, ZwetslootSchonk JHM. Understanding terminological systems I: Terminology and typology. Method Inform Med 2000; 39: 16-21.
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 19 de Keizer NF, Abu-Hanna A. Understanding terminological systems II: Experience with conceptual and formal representation of structure. Method Inform Med 2000; 39: 22-9.
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 20 Tiede U, Schiemann T, Höhne KH. High quality rendering of attributed volume data. In: Proceedings of the Conference IEEE Visualization; 1998 Oct 18-23; Research Triangle Park, NC. Ebert D. et al., eds. Los Alamitos: IEEE Computer Society Press; 1998: 255-62.
  Google Scholar
• 21 Schubert R, Pflesser B, Pommert A, Pries-meyer K, Riemer M, Schiemann T, Tiede U, Steiner P, Höhne KH. Interactive volume visualization using ‘intelligent movies’. In: Westwood JD. et al. eds. Proceedings of Medicine Meets Virtual Reality, MMVR’99, Health Technology and Informatics 62. Amsterdam: IOS Press.; 1999: 321-7.
  Google Scholar
• 22 Höhne KH, Pflesser B, Pommert A, Pries-meyer K, Riemer M, Schiemann T, Schubert R, Tiede U, Frederking H-C, Gehrmann S, Noster S, Schumacher U. VOXEL-MAN 3D-Navigator: Inner Organs. Regional, systemic and radiological anatomy. Heidelberg: Springer Electronic Media; 2000
  Google Scholar
• 23 Mazziotta JC, Toga AW, Evans A, Fox P, Lancaster J. A probabilistic atlas of the human brain: theory and rationale for its development. The International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM). Neuroimage 1995; 2: 89-101.
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 24 Sachse FB, Werner CD, Meyer-Waarden K, Dössel O. Applications of the Visible Human Male data set in electrocardiology: Calculation and visualization of body surface potential maps of a complete heart cycle. In: Proceedings of the 2nd Users Conference of the National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Project. Bethesda: 1998: 47-8.
  Google Scholar
• 25 Cotin S, Delingette H, Ayache N. Real-time elastic transformations of soft tissues for surgery simulation. IEEE Trans. Visualization Comp Graph 1999; 5: 62-73.
  PubMedGoogle Scholar