System and method for performing a three-dimensional virtual examination of objects, such as internal organs
View Patent ↗Methods for generating a three-dimensional visualization image of an object, such as an internal organ, using volume visualization techniques are provided. The techniques include a multi-scan imaging method; a multi-resolution imaging method; and a method for generating a skeleton of a complex three dimension object. The applications include virtual cystoscopy, virtual laryngoscopy, virtual angiography, among others.
1. A computer-based method of defining a skeleton for a three dimensional image representation of a hollow object formed with a plurality of voxels comprising:
identifying a root voxel within the hollow object;
generating a distance map for all voxels within the hollow object, the distance map being formed using a 26-connected cubic plate of neighboring voxels having Euclidian weighted distances;
identifying voxels having a local maxima in the distance map as endpoints of branches in the hollow object;
for each local maxima voxel, determining a shortest connected path to one of the root voxel or a previously defined shortest path; and
centralizing the shortest paths within the respective branches of the object.
2. The computer-based method of defining a skeleton for a three dimensional image representation of claim 1 further comprising performing multi-resolution data reduction to the three dimensional image representation to generate a reduced data set for the generating and identifying operations.
3. The computer-based method of defining a skeleton for a three dimensional image representation of claim 1 , wherein the object includes at least one blood vessel.
4. The computer-based method of defining a skeleton for a three dimensional image representation of claim 1 , wherein the object includes the airways of a lung.
5. The computer-based method of defining a skeleton for a three dimensional image representation of claim 1 , wherein the object includes the bladder.
6. The computer-based method of defining a skeleton for a three dimensional image representation of claim 1 , wherein the object includes the spinal cord of a vertebrate animal.