A German team of clinicians, computer specialists, and mathematicians have built a 3-D interactive atlas of the Visible Human. They believe their approach solves the problems of long downloads associated with the Visible Human, first shown at the 1994 RSNA meeting.
The project integrates radiology and anatomy in what the team calls "intelligent movies" linked to a knowledge base. Users can view the images on a Java environment. The movies show both x-rays and 3-D models, with text appearing above or below the images. The user can slow the movie to a frame-by-frame display and choose a specific area for a closer view and expanded text information.
The Visible Human serves as an ideal foundation for integrating radiology and anatomy, according to Karl Hohne, one of the co-authors from the University Hospital of Hamburg Eppendorf.
"Both disciplines deal with three-dimensional information, first by creating and acquiring the image, and then by sharing it with colleagues, students, and patients," he said.
To view a section of the Visible Human, the user chooses a section of the body, such as the skull. The 3-D model and images appear on the screen along with several linked hypertext documents.
Although the project is used primarily for education, the team believes future applications will include modifying the images to generate multimedia radiology reports.
The RSNA Research and Education Fund supports the exhibit.
