Applications of digital topology in medical three-dimensional imaging

AbstractThree-dimensional (3D) digital images of human internal structures, generated by a variety of imaging devices, are currently used routinely in day-to-day patient care. Which such images have been used mainly in a two-dimensional slice-by-slice form, the processes of 3D visualization, manipulation, and analysis based on object and boundary information derivedfrom these images are considered to improve patient care and to contribute to medical research. In this paper, we examine some of the topological issues related to these processes. We describe the approaches taken and the algorithms developed to define objects and their boundaries and point out some open areas which can benefit from contributions from topologists