Medical Image Real-Time Visualization, Manipulation, Enhancement, and Analysis

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Real-time medical image visualization and manipulation
• Computer graphics and virtual reality
• Medical image processing, analysis, and validation
• High-performance computation and numerical analysis
• Machine learning, computer vision, and pattern recognition
• Human-computer interaction

Image-guided minimally invasive surgery can reduce patients’ risk, trauma, and healthcare cost. The specific aim of my research is to develop a graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerated 4D (3D dynamic) multimodality (CT/MRI and US) medical image real-time visualization, manipulation, and analysis platform that incorporates the design and implementation of new algorithms on image processing and analysis, computer graphics, high-performance computation, diagnostic information extraction, as well as tissue feature enhancement and analysis. Novel algorithms on computer vision and pattern recognition are also explored and used in this project. In addition, a comprehensive graphics user interface (GUI) is designed and implemented in this software system. This developed platform will permit the full volumetric patient dataset to be real-time displayed, enhanced, manipulated, and analyzed without losing anatomical and diagnostic information.

The ultimate goal of this work is to incorporate the developed software within a real-world image-guided cardiac surgery system in a clinical environment to improve surgeons’ performance.

KEY QUESTIONS

• How much improvement can be made on the surgeons’ performance by using a dynamic multimodality medical image visualization and manipulation system to guide the cardiac surgery?
• To what extent can the techniques of computer graphics and vision be applied to accelerate the progress of minimally invasive image-guided surgery?
• To what extent can the new technologies of image processing, computer graphics, high-performance computation, computer vision, and pattern recognition be applied to accelerate the progress of minimally invasive image-guided surgery?
• How much new real-time information can be provided to the physicians in real time in an operating room (OR) using a new medical image real-time visualization and processing platform based on algorithms running on programmable modern GPUs?

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

CURRICULUM VITAE