A Volume-Rendering Technique for Integrated Three-Dimensional display of MR and PET Data

Methods have recently been developed for using MR data to create 3-D computer models of the gyral anatomy of the brain. This paper describes image processing and computer graphic techniques for using PET images to produce 3-D models of brain surface metabolism. Then, an existing algorithm for retrospective image registration is used to fuse the two constructs into a unified 3-D model of brain structure and function. Neurosurgical planning can benefit from this display technique which localizes PET-detected metablolic abnormalities with respect to MR-defined gyral anatomy.