Title
Smooth Volume Rendering of Labeled Medical Data on Consumer Graphics Hardware
Abstract
One of the most important applications of direct volume rendering is the visualization of labeled medical data. Explicit segmentation of embedded subvolumes allows a clear separation of neighboring substructures in the same range of intensity values, which can then be used for implicit segmentation of fine structures using transfer functions. Nevertheless, the hard label boundaries of explicitly segmented structures lead to voxelization artifacts. Pixel-resolution linear filtering can not solve this problem effectively. In order to render soft label boundaries for explicitly segmented objects, we have successfully applied a smoothing algorithm based on gradients of the volumetric label data as a preprocessing step. A 3D-texture based rendering approach was implemented, where volume labels are interpolated independently of each other using the graphics hardware. Thereby, correct trilinear interpolation of four subvolumes is obtained. Per-label post-interpolative transfer functions together with inter-label interpolation are performed in the pixel shader stage in a single rendering pass, hence obtaining Z, high-quality rendering of labeled data on GPUs. The presented technique showed its high practical value for the 3D-visualization of tiny vessel and nerve structures in MR data in case of neurovascular compression syndromes.
Year
DOI
Venue
2005
10.1117/12.593314
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS (SPIE)
Keywords
Field
DocType
direct volume visualization,segmentation,consumer graphics hardware
Computer vision,Volume rendering,Graphics hardware,Computer graphics (images),3D rendering,Computer science,Interpolation,Smoothing,Artificial intelligence,Trilinear interpolation,Rendering (computer graphics),Shader
Conference
Volume
ISSN
Citations 
5744
0277-786X
7
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.54
10
5
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
F. Vega Higuera1121.08
P. Hastreiter21259.46
Ramin Naraghi3162.34
Rudolf Fahlbusch47911.14
G. Greiner5111.22