KEYWORDS: 3D image processing, Medical imaging, Tissues, 3D modeling, Commercial off the shelf technology, Visualization, Virtual reality, Skin, Magnetic resonance imaging, Computed tomography
Advancements in medical image visualization in recent years have enabled three-dimensional (3D) medical images to be volume-rendered from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans. Medical data is crucial for patient diagnosis and medical education, and analyzing these three-dimensional models rather than two-dimensional (2D) slices would enable more efficient analysis by surgeons and physicians, especially non-radiologists. An interaction device that is intuitive, robust, and easily learned is necessary to integrate 3D modeling software into the medical community. The keyboard and mouse configuration does not readily manipulate 3D models because these traditional interface devices function within two degrees of freedom, not the six degrees of freedom presented in three dimensions. Using a familiar, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) device for interaction would minimize training time and enable maximum usability with 3D medical images. Multiple techniques are available to manipulate 3D medical images and provide doctors more innovative ways of visualizing patient data. One such example is windowing. Windowing is used to adjust the viewed tissue density of digital medical data. A software platform available at the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC), named Isis, was used to visualize and interact with the 3D representations of medical data. In this paper, we present the methodology and results of a user study that examined the usability of windowing 3D medical imaging using a Kinect™ device compared to a traditional mouse.
KEYWORDS: Visualization, 3D displays, Pulmonary function tests, Medical imaging, 3D vision, Surgery, Stereoscopic displays, Brain, Basic research, Computed tomography
The dramatic rise of digital medical imaging has allowed medical personnel to see inside their patients as never before. Many software products are now available to view this data in various 2D and 3D formats. This also raises many basic research questions on spatial perception for humans viewing these images. The work presented here attempts to answer the question: How would adding the stereopsis depth cue affect relative position tasks in a medical context? By designing and conducting a study to isolate the benefits between monoscopic 3D and stereoscopic 3D displays in a relative position task, the following hypothesis was tested: stereoscopic 3D displays are beneficial over monoscopic 3D displays for relative position judgment tasks in a medical visualization setting. The results show that stereoscopic condition yielded a higher score than the monoscopic condition, but the results were not always statistically significant.
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