Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality: Initial Successes in Diagnostic Radiology

In this chapter, we will review the applications of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in diagnostic radiology. We begin the chapter by discussing state of the art medical imaging techniques to include scanner hardware, spatial resolution, and presentation methods to the radiologist or other medical professionals. We continue by discussing the methodology of a technique called Depth-3-Dimensional (D3D) imaging, which transforms cross-sectional medical imaging datasets into a left and right eye images that that can be viewed with state of the art AR or VR headsets. We include results of the D3D processed AR/VR imaging and conclude with a discussion of the path forward.