Development of three-dimensional image programs for research and education of human embryology

这项研究的目的是开发程序，以帮助人类胚胎学的研究和教育。为了观察人类胚胎发育过程中的形态变化，我们利用磁共振显微镜等设备从标本中获取了三维图像，提取并显示了外部和内部器官的三维形状。研究结果如下：(1)京都大学先天异常研究中心拥有大量的人类胚胎标本。我们开发了一个有效检索和显示标本的系统，其中标本的形态特征可以通过查看3D图像相互比较或与标准3D模型进行比较。(2)上述标本的一部分以连续切片的形式存储。为了辅助三维图像分析，我们开发了在三维标量场中显示等值面的拓扑关系，在三维数字图像中描述这种关系，并利用这种关系从三维图像中交互地提取区域(标本图像的外部和内部器官)的程序。(4)我们建立了一个时空4D模型，不仅描述了人类胚胎的形态变化，而且还描述了内部器官的出现和消失。利用这个模型，我们开发了一个程序，用程序提取的标本来显示外部和内部器官的标准形状(3)。

The purpose of this research is to develop programs to assist the research and education of human embryology. In order to view the morphological change in the development of human embryos, we have acquired tree-dimensional (3D) images from specimens using equipments such as MR microscopes, extracting and displaying the 3D shapes of external and internal organs. Our results areas follows:(1)Congenital Anomaly Research Center in Kyoto University has huge number of specimens of human embryo. We have developed a system to retrieve and display the specimens efficiently, where the morphological features of the specimens can be compared from each other or with a standard 3D model, by viewing 3D images.(2)A part of the specimens described above are stored as serial sections. We have developed a system to reconstruct 3D shapes from the serially sectioned specimens, introducing the photographs of outside to improve the accuracy of reconstruction.(3)In order to assist 3D image analysis, we have developed procedures to display the topological relationship of isosurfaces in 3D scalar field, to describe the relationship in 3D digital images, and to extract regions (external and internal organs for the images of specimens) interactively using the relationship from 3D images.(4)We have developed a spaciotemporal 4D model describing not only morphological change of a human embryo, but also appearance and disappearance of internal organs. Using this model, we have developed a program to display the standard shape of external and internal organs with those of specimens extracted by procedures (3).