After drawing and stacking contours of a structure, which is identified in the serially sectioned images, three-dimensional
(3D) image can be made by surface reconstruction. Usually, software is composed for the surface
reconstruction. In order to compose the software, medical doctors have to acquire the help of computer engineers. So in
this research, surface reconstruction of stacked contours was tried by using commercial software. The purpose of this
research is to enable medical doctors to perform surface reconstruction to make 3D images by themselves. The materials
of this research were 996 anatomic images (1 mm intervals) of left lower limb, which were made by serial sectioning of a
cadaver. On the Adobe Photoshop, contours of 114 anatomic structures were drawn, which were exported to Adobe
Illustrator files. On the Maya, contours of each anatomic structure were stacked. On the Rhino, superoinferior lines were
drawn along all stacked contours to fill quadrangular surfaces between contours. On the Maya, the contours were deleted.
3D images of 114 anatomic structures were assembled with their original locations preserved. With the surface
reconstruction technique, developed in this research, medical doctors themselves could make 3D images of the serially
sectioned images such as CTs and MRIs.
KEYWORDS: Image segmentation, Focus stacking software, Magnetic resonance imaging, 3D image processing, Medical imaging, Medical research, Heart, Magnetism, Neuroimaging, Brain
The purpose of this research is to enable anybody to semiautomatically segment the anatomical structures in the MRIs, CTs, and other medical images on the personal computer. The segmented images are used for making three-dimensional images, which are helpful in medical education and research. To achieve this purpose, the following trials were performed. The entire body of a volunteer was MR scanned to make 557 MRIs, which were transferred to a personal computer. On Adobe Photoshop, contours of 19 anatomical structures in the MRIs were semiautomatically drawn using MAGNETIC LASSO TOOL; successively, manually corrected using either LASSO TOOL or DIRECT SELECTION TOOL to make 557 segmented images. In a likewise manner, 11 anatomical structures in the 8,500 anatomcial images were segmented. Also, 12 brain and 10 heart anatomical structures in anatomical images were segmented. Proper segmentation was verified by making and examining the coronal, sagittal, and three-dimensional images from the segmented images. During semiautomatic segmentation on Adobe Photoshop, suitable algorithm could be used, the extent of automatization could be regulated, convenient user interface could be used, and software bugs rarely occurred. The techniques of semiautomatic segmentation using Adobe Photoshop are expected to be widely used for segmentation of the anatomical structures in various medical images.
The Visible Korean Human dataset is currently being made. The performance period for the experiment is March 2000- August 2005. The complete MR and CT images of the Korean cadaver are acquired. The cadaver is serially sectioned (interval: 0.2 mm) and inputted into the personal computer to make anatomical images (pixel size: 0.2 mm) without missing images. Anatomical structures in the anatomical images are segmented. The Visible Korean Human dataset is expected to be more beneficial than the Visible Human Project dataset in many ways. First, the Korean images will be more helpful in diagnosing and treating patients belonging to the Oriental race. Second, the complete MR and CT images will be more helpful in studying MR and CT images. Third, the anatomical images without missing images will be more beneficial by making complete 3D images. Fourth, the anatomical images with thin interval (0.2 mm) and small pixel size (0.2 mm) will show small anatomical structures. Fifth, the additional segmented images will make 3D images and virtual dissection software easily.
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