An alternative method of three-dimensional reconstruction from two-dimensional CT and MR data sets

Cross-sectional images for medical diagnosis and therapy are obtained by sonography, CT or MRI.An alternative solution is proposed to the problem of constructing a set of cross-sectional contours from 2D CT or MR data sets. The method reduces the problem of constructing a shape over the cross-sections to one of constructing a sequence of partial shapes, each of them connecting 2 cross-sections lying on adjacent places. The solution makes use of a spatial mathematical formalism (Delauney triangulation). MR investigations were carried out on different objects (hips, livers) to illustrate the 2D MR data sets by the reconstruction method. The resulting images represent the original image data in a way that is more suitable for observation of 3D relationships than the conventional cross-sectional viewing model. (author). 20 refs.; 5 figs