Interactive Visualization of the Retina in a 3-D Virtual Reality Environment

摘要

? Purpose: ?We describe the development and application of a novel method to visualize the retina within a 3-D, stereoscopic, immersive, virtual reality environment (CAVE). This allows users to collaboratively view, manipulate, interact with (by intuitively changing head/body position and viewing angles), and analyze volumetric and slice based high-resolution SD-OCT in 3-D space, appreciating retinal morphology with full depth perception (Figure). ? Methods: ?We developed a method to interpret raw data from SD-OCT for visualization within the CAVE. Retinal images of AMD, CSR, RD, and VMT were rendered. Using a custom extension to Avizo software, raw data from SD-OCT, including B-scans, IR images, RPE, ILM and NFL surfaces, were read into scalar fields. These were analyzed and visualized with volumetric tools including registration, filtering and segmentation, geometric and volumetric quantification and skeletonization. ? Results: ?High-resolution, 3-D representations of SD-OCT images of AMD, CSR, RD, and VMT were successfully reconstructed in the CAVE. This allowed 3-D viewing of the retina with the ability to isolate and subtract specific vitreoretinal interfaces and retinal/choroidal structures. This, coupled with the ability to immersively interact with the images (Figure), provided a novel modality to view and understand retinal pathology. ? Conclusions: ?This 3-D, virtual reality viewing system offers a powerful, intuitive, and interactive perspective for visualizing posterior segment anatomy and pathology in an extraordinary new way. Customization will permit isolation of structures (e.g. choroidal/retinal vasculature) that can enhance understanding of disease pathophysiology. ?View OriginalDownload SlideView OriginalDownload Slide ? Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) ? computational modeling ? retina?.