What is the inside of the human body like? The journey to the deepest parts of the organism is one of the most amazing ones made by humans throughout the course of history. However, visualizing and representing the inside of the body had not been satisfactorily achieved so far, since it was difficult both to obtain high quality images and to interpret them. Germán Arroyo Moreno, a researcher at the Department of Languages and Computer Systems at the Universidad de Granada and the author of the doctoral thesis ‘Expressive Visualization of Volumes (VEV)’, has invented a new model to represent volumetric data. The model allows us to represent the data obtained from a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT)
The main contribution of this new computer program (called VEV) is that it transforms a large amount of data into a simple 3D image, similar to the images in Medicine books. “In this way, it is possible to offer the general public some concepts that so far only an expert could understand”, as Germán Arroyo explains.
However, this is not the only success of VEV. By using this tool, it is much easier for health professionals to make a diagnosis, since they can easily see the inside of the human body. Moreover, VEV improves communication between health professionals and patients, because “it enables patients or anyone outside the field of medicine to understand the explanation of the health expert, which is based on magnetic resonances or tomographies and complemented with the images created by the system”. Obviously, VEV is of enormous didactic value for Medicine students, since they can easily see the inside of the human body, and even more if complemented with the resonances from which the visualized images are obtained.
Accurate models
As is the case with other programs for visualization of 3D images, VEV makes a 3D model and locates some focus of light which allows the user to modify the way of visualizing the different tissues, bones and muscles. In addition, it allows users to approach these parts very accurately. As Prof. Arroyo explains “in fact, the great advance of VEV with respect to other similar “softwares” is in its detailed results. If there is a hole in a bone or it is softly deformed, it will be reflected in the illustration generated by the VEV”. Furthermore, several tissues may be modified simultaneously by means of realistic illustrations of several parts of the inside of the body and all this without surgery.
Germán Arroyo points out that the use of VEV does not require any great technological support (just a PC). Moreover, in the near future the software used for VEV could be used to edit and create biological and archaeological images. “Very often, archaeologists have troubles when interpreting magnetic resonances of mummies, since they do not usually have specific knowledge of Medicine. Undoubtedly, VEV could make their work much easier.”
Reference:
Prof Germán Arroyo Moreno. Departament of Languages and Computer Systems of the UGR
Phone number: 958 246144 – 958 244344. E-mail: arroyo@ugr.es
