Automated display of the anatomical name of bronchial branches in a virtual bronchoscopy system and its application as a training tool for medical students
Kensaku Mori, Yasuhito Suenaga, Jun‐ichiro Toriwaki, Jun‐ichi Hasegawa, Hirofumi Anno, Kazuhiro Katada, Hiroshi Natori · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1999
This paper proposes a method for automated labeling of the bronchial branches in the virtual bronchoscopy system and its application as a training tool. Virtual Bronchoscopy System (VBS) is a new observation method of 3-D medical images. This system is useful for a variety of purposes such as diagnosis, planning of surgery, informed consent, education and training. By the proposed method the VBS can automatically labels bronchial branches which are extracted from 3-D chest X-ray CT images by the knowledge based processing in the VBS. The knowledge base of the bronchial branch name is constructed. Automated labeling is performed by comparing the tree structure of the extracted bronchus with the knowledge base. The bronchial branch name is displayed in the navigation inside the bronchus. We extended the VBS to a teaching tool by using this function. The system generates questions about bronchial branch name. When the user navigate inside the bronchus by using the VBS, the system presents a question on the virtual endoscopic view and the user answers a question. The proposed method was implemented in our VBS. We confirmed that the method can assign anatomical names to about 90% of bronchial branches extracted from 3-D X-ray CT image automatically. In an extended module for educational use of the VBS, the system could generate questions about branch names and could display them on the virtual endoscopic view automatically.