TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE VISUALIZATION OF THE VASCULARIZATION OF THE PELVIS UNDER INTERACTIVE THREE-DIMENSIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

One of the great contributions for the morphological analysis of the pelvic region has undoubtedly been the magnetic resonance. The multiplanar capacity and the possibility of differentiating bone and soft parts of this diagnostic imaging technique make it an excellent technique for non-invasive diagnosis and for the detailed study of the pelvic region morphology. There are few studies that analyze in detail the radiological anatomy of the female pelvis using three-dimensional models (3D) combined with sectional images, making use of open applications for the representation of virtual scenes on low-cost Windows platforms.

Taking into account these previous considerations, we present a computer development that allows to visualize and interact with the anatomical structures of the normal female pelvis reconstructed from serial sections of high resolution magnetic resonance in a three-dimensional environment. The possibilities of representing three-dimensionally vascular elements in any spatial orientation together with radiological magnetic resonance sectional images in the three planes of space (axial, coronal and sagittal), facilitate the understanding, the identification and the anatomical knowledge of the arteries and veins that irrigate this region.

Therefore, our purpose with this work has been to model in 3D the main skeletal, muscular and visceral structures of the normal female pelvis with special incidence in its vascularization from magnetic resonance images and its representation in a program designed to PC environments, which allows for visualizing and interacting with sectional images integrated with 3D models in DirectX format.

Our interactive computer program allows the observation of the 3D model of the main blood vessels in the plane of vision desired by the user with a very intuitive graphic interface, and floating windows. We take as a reference pattern the magnetic resonance sections and the 3D models of the visceral structures that harbor the female pelvis for our computer program. This computer application represents an important tool for the training of medical students as well as residents in the area of urogynecology, also serving as a visual technological resource for planning pelvic floor surgical interventions.

The generation of 3D images of the human body is suffering an increase in the last years, it use has been generalized in different medical fields.

The growing implementation of advanced computer applications for the visualization of 3D models of anatomical structures facilitate a better understanding of the structure and spatial relationships of the pelvis region. There is no doubt that computer programs are a very useful tool in all subjects of health sciences as didactic resources in medical training.