title: IMPROMPTU: a system for automatic 3D medical image-analysis.
abstract: The utility of three-dimensional (3D) medical imaging is hampered by difficulties in extracting anatomical regions and making measurements in 3D images. Presently, a user is generally forced to use time-consuming, subjective, manual methods, such as slice tracing and region painting, to define regions of interest. Automatic image-analysis methods can ameliorate the difficulties of manual methods. This paper describes a graphical user interface (GUI) system for constructing automatic image-analysis processes for 3D medical-imaging applications. The system, referred to as IMPROMPTU, provides a user-friendly environment for prototyping, testing and executing complex image-analysis processes. IMPROMPTU can stand alone or it can interact with an existing graphics-based 3D medical image-analysis package (VIDA), giving a strong environment for 3D image-analysis, consisting of tools for visualization, manual interaction, and automatic processing. IMPROMPTU links to a large library of 1D, 2D, and 3D image-processing functions, referred to as VIPLIB, but a user can easily link in custom-made functions. 3D applications of the system are given for left-ventricular chamber, myocardial, and upper-airway extractions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sundaramoorthy
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hoford
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Higgins
mesh_terms: D003196:Computer Graphics; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012984:Software; D012985:Software Design; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014584:User-Computer Interface