Voxel-Man

VR Simulators for Medical Training

Torso and Inner Organs of the Visible Human (2000)

Based on the Visible Human male, we created a virtual body model of the torso and inner organs of unprecedented detail and realism. These images give an impression on the quality and functionality of the model. It provides the basis for the interactive anatomical and radiological atlas VOXEL-MAN 3D Navigator: Inner Organs.

Muscles of the torso of the Visible HumanIn this view of the Inner Organs model, the muscles of the human torso were unveiled by removing the outer layers of the body.

Visible Human with a median cut, unveiliing some of the 650 anatomical structures of the inner organs modelThe Inner Organs model consists of 650 three-dimensional anatomical objects. The larger objects (liver, kidneys, etc.) are represented as voxel objects and visualized by 3D rendering. The smaller ones like blood vessels and nerves are modeled as surface objects.

Visible Human with multiple cuts, unveiling different layers of the torso's anatomyThe Inner Organs model may be dissected in any direction with any number of cuts. The pictures of this series were computed with an illumination by four light sources and shadow casting.

Liver of the Visible Human, highlighted both in the anatomical model and on the x-ray imageDifferent viewing modes such as anatomy and X-ray imaging may be arbitrarily combined and viewed from any direction. The X-ray image may be interrogated at any point as to which objects contribute to it.

X-ray of the Visible Human, with small and large intestine highlightedA complete X-ray view of the Inner Organs model. Any organ may be highlighted for the assessment of its manifestation in an X-ray image. Here the small intestine is highlighted in violet, the large intestine in yellow.

Visible Human from below, with with most of the digestive system removedView of the Inner Organs model with most of the digestive system removed.

Inner organs of the Visible Human, prepared according to an anatomy drawing of Leonardo da Vinci (around 1500)View of the Inner Organs model together with one of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous anatomy drawings (around 1500). It illustrates the development of anatomical knowledge representations from drawings to virtual body models.

Sectional anatomy of the abdomen of the Visible Human with a corresponding CT imageView of the Inner Organs model with a transverse cut unveiling the major blood vessels and nerves of the lower abdomen. At any place, the cross-sectional anatomy and its radiological manifestation in Computer Tomography (CT) may be explored.

Notes

The segmented inner organs model is available for research purposes.

References

  1. Karl Heinz Höhne, Bernhard Pflesser, Andreas Pommert, Martin Riemer, Rainer Schubert, Thomas Schiemann, Ulf Tiede, Udo Schumacher: A realistic model of human structure from the Visible Human data. Methods of Information in Medicine 40, 2 (2001), 83-89.
  2. Andreas Pommert, Karl Heinz Höhne, Bernhard Pflesser, Ernst Richter, Martin Riemer, Thomas Schiemann, Rainer Schubert, Udo Schumacher, Ulf Tiede: Creating a high-resolution spatial/symbolic model of the inner organs based on the Visible Human. Medical Image Analysis 5, 3 (2001), 221-228.
  3. Thomas Schiemann, Jan Freudenberg, Bernhard Pflesser, Andreas Pommert, Kay Priesmeyer, Martin Riemer, Rainer Schubert, Ulf Tiede, Karl Heinz Höhne: Exploring the Visible Human using the VOXEL-MAN framework. Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics 24, 3 (2000), 127-132.

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