VISBONE: 3D visualization of bone mineral density

Volume visualization is an essential part of many computer-assisted medical applications. While general-purpose commercial visualization software can provide common functions for visualizing three-dimensional (3D) medical data, there are many occasions where specific requirements cannot be fulfilled by such software. In orthopaedic surgery involving screw insertion, surgeons must consider not only the surface topology but also the bone mineral density (BMD) distribution to ensure a high success rate of the operation. In this paper we present a new system, called VISBONE, for visualizing the 3D BMD distribution within a bone. Design issues and specific considerations required by this application are discussed.

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