Method and system for spine visualization in 3D medical images

摘要

A method and system for visualizing the spine in 3D medical images is disclosed. A spinal cord centerline is automatically determined in a 3D medical image volume, such as a CT volume. A reformatted image volume is then generated based on the spinal cord centerline. The reformatted image volume can be a straightened spine volume or a Multi-planar Reconstruction (MPR) based volume that follows the natural curve of the spine. The reconstructed volume can be displayed as 2D slices or 3D volume renderings.