VISTA: Visualization of Image Segmentation by Transformation and Analysis

Motivation: Complex medical procedures often require clinicians to construct a (3D) three-dimensional mental model of a patient's anatomy from 2D medical imaging data. Goal(s): Our goal was to develop a set of tools which convert 2D imaging data into 3D objects to view in virtual reality (VR). Approach: Two pipelines were created, one for brain imaging data and another for label mask images, which automatically segment the images, convert them to objects, and merge them into a VR viewable model. Results: Our software has been successfully used to transform a variety of medical imaging data into 3D files which are viewable on VR platforms. Impact: Some of the challenges with mentally visualizing two-dimensional medical imaging data should be alleviated by using our software to automatically make the data viewable in a three-dimensional format.