Visual and interactive computing for surgery and medicine

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In this data-rich era, there is much untapped potential to use computing to help us interpret and understand our observations of the physical world. In the domain of medicine, we now have an unprecedented ability to image the human body and generate repositories of rich, three-dimensional image data. Despite advances in imaging technologies, most physicians today still examine images as if they were on a sheet of film, severely limiting the knowledge and understanding they can efficiently extract from the data. The central theme of the proposed research program is the investigation of visual and interactive computing techniques that will improve the way clinicians, scientists, and trainees are able to understand, interpret, and utilize medical images. The proposed research aims to advance knowledge in computer science which will enable creation of interactive virtual environments to permit exploration and touch-based manipulation of realistic, three-dimensional models derived from medical images. Drawing a motivating example from the application of surgical planning, imagine if an accurate and realistic virtual model of a patient could be constructed from pre-operative image data. What if the surgeon could interactively manipulate the model to reveal pertinent anatomical structures and their spatial relationships in 3D? What if the surgeon could use a familiar instrument to perform a virtual dissection, and feel contact and resistive forces during the operation while the anatomical model responds in a physically realistic manner? To achieve these capabilities, scientific challenges in a number of core areas of computer science must be addressed. These include (1) image analysis and geometric modelling, (2) real-time volume rendering and visualization, (3) haptic rendering and touch-based interaction, (4) collision detection and physically-based simulation, and (5) design and evaluation of interactive virtual environments. Research along the five stated directions forms the basis of investigation for the proposed research program. Progress in each research direction would contribute to scientific knowledge in that field, and that knowledge can have applications in a variety of disciplines. Advances in all focus areas, in concert, would have the greatest significance in realizing the vision of enhancing medical education, diagnosis, treatment planning, and computer-assisted intervention through use of visual and interactive computing. Ongoing collaborations with practicing clinicians grant us access to real-world data, and at the same time allows us to validate the correctness and utility of the methods developed. The research problems to be addressed are driven by real needs, ensuring that results would benefit applications with practical value, and potentially increasing the likelihood of technology translation or commercialization.