Efficient 3D rendering for web-based medical imaging software: a proof of concept

Diego Cantor-Rivera; Robert Bartha; Terry Peters

doi:10.1117/12.878814

1 March 2011 Efficient 3D rendering for web-based medical imaging software: a proof of concept

Diego Cantor-Rivera, Robert Bartha, Terry Peters

Proceedings Volume 7964, Medical Imaging 2011: Visualization, Image-Guided Procedures, and Modeling; 79643A (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.878814
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2011, Lake Buena Vista (Orlando), Florida, United States

Abstract

Medical Imaging Software (MIS) found in research and in clinical practice, such as in Picture and Archiving Communication Systems (PACS) and Radiology Information Systems (RIS), has not been able to take full advantage of the Internet as a deployment platform. MIS is usually tightly coupled to algorithms that have substantial hardware and software requirements. Consequently, MIS is deployed on thick clients which usually leads project managers to allocate more resources during the deployment phase of the application than the resources that would be allocated if the application were deployed through a web interface.To minimize the costs associated with this scenario, many software providers use or develop plug-ins to provide the delivery platform (internet browser) with the features to load, interact and analyze medical images. Nevertheless there has not been a successful standard means to achieve this goal so far. This paper presents a study of WebGL as an alternative to plug-in development for efficient rendering of 3D medical models and DICOM images. WebGL is a technology that enables the internet browser to have access to the local graphics hardware in a native fashion. Because it is based in OpenGL, a widely accepted graphic industry standard, WebGL is being implemented in most of the major commercial browsers. After a discussion on the details of the technology, a series of experiments are presented to determine the operational boundaries in which WebGL is adequate for MIS. A comparison with current alternatives is also addressed. Finally conclusions and future work are discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Diego Cantor-Rivera, Robert Bartha, and Terry Peters "Efficient 3D rendering for web-based medical imaging software: a proof of concept", Proc. SPIE 7964, Medical Imaging 2011: Visualization, Image-Guided Procedures, and Modeling, 79643A (1 March 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.878814

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available