Active-Ray Tracing for 3D Medical Imaging

Abstract

Large quantities of three-dimensional (3D) information are produced by 3D medical imaging techniques such as CT and MRI, in the form of digital volumes (DV). We propose a new approach to help a human observer to visualize these volumes. This approach is based on the idea that, in order to achieve true user-interaction, segmentation and visualization should not be treated separately. This is achieved by introducing active ray tracing, a method inspired by ray tracing but working directely on unsegmented digital volumes. Segmentation takes place as the active rays penetrate through the volume.