41 - Visualization Pathways in Biomedicine

Abstract

Visualization is one of the rapidly developing areas of scientific computing. Based on their visual characteristics resulting from their interaction with the user environment, visualization in medicine can be grouped into three major classes: illustrative visualization, investigative visualization, and imitative visualization. The focus of this chapter is on investigative and imitative visualization. Clinical research examples from medicine and biology are provided to illustrate the concepts of visualization and their significance. For the purpose of discussion, the evolution of different concepts of visualization in medicine is grouped into several generations. First generation systems are essentially ID waveform displays such as those that appear in patient monitoring systems. Second generation systems perform 2D image processing and display. Third generation systems generally involve 3D image processing and visualization. Fourth generation systems process multidimensional data such as dynamic volume data sets, sometimes called 4D data. Fifth generation systems are virtual reality type visualization systems, which combine multidimensional data with three-dimensional interaction. Next generation systems represent concepts under development, such as sensory feedback techniques where the user interacting with the structures could feel the physical properties of the material and obtain valuable "visual-sensory" information in simulation type visualization systems. The focus is on investigative and imitative visualization. Clinical research examples from medicine and biology are provided to illustrate the concepts of visualization and their significance.