MITK-OpenIGTLink for combining open-source toolkits in real-time computer-assisted interventions.
OBJECTIVE
Due to rapid developments in the research areas of medical imaging, medical image processing and robotics, computer-assisted interventions (CAI) are becoming an integral part of modern patient care. From a software engineering point of view, these systems are highly complex and research can benefit greatly from reusing software components. This is supported by a number of open-source toolkits for medical imaging and CAI such as the medical imaging interaction toolkit (MITK), the public software library for ultrasound imaging research (PLUS) and 3D Slicer. An independent inter-toolkit communication such as the open image-guided therapy link (OpenIGTLink) can be used to combine the advantages of these toolkits and enable an easier realization of a clinical CAI workflow.


METHODS
MITK-OpenIGTLink is presented as a network interface within MITK that allows easy to use, asynchronous two-way messaging between MITK and clinical devices or other toolkits. Performance and interoperability tests with MITK-OpenIGTLink were carried out considering the whole CAI workflow from data acquisition over processing to visualization.


RESULTS
We present how MITK-OpenIGTLink can be applied in different usage scenarios. In performance tests, tracking data were transmitted with a frame rate of up to 1000 Hz and a latency of 2.81 ms. Transmission of images with typical ultrasound (US) and greyscale high-definition (HD) resolutions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is possible at up to 512 and 128 Hz, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
With the integration of OpenIGTLink into MITK, this protocol is now supported by all established open-source toolkits in the field. This eases interoperability between MITK and toolkits such as PLUS or 3D Slicer and facilitates cross-toolkit research collaborations. MITK and its submodule MITK-OpenIGTLink are provided open source under a BSD-style licence ( http://mitk.org ).
Laboratory for Computer-Assisted Medicine, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Offenburg University, Badstraße 24, 77652, Offenburg, Germany. martin.klemm@hs-offenburg.de.
Martin
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1093-5649
M
Klemm
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Thomas
T
Kirchner
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Janek
J
Gröhl
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Dominique
D
Cheray
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Marco
M
Nolden
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Alexander
A
Seitel
Laboratory for Computer-Assisted Medicine, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Offenburg University, Badstraße 24, 77652, Offenburg, Germany.
Harald
H
Hoppe
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Lena
L
Maier-Hein
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Alfred M
AM
Franz
D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures; D012371:Robotics; D012984:Software; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D013685:Telecommunications; D014463:Ultrasonography; D057188:Workflow
Computer-assisted interventions; Image-guided therapy; Interoperability; MITK; OpenIGTLink; Ultrasound
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