Voxel, Inc.
Voxel Gives Surgeons 3D X-ray View Inside the Human Body
Turning 2D “Slices” into Holograms
First, surgical candidates undergo a CT or MR scan, resulting in a series of 2D image cross-sections that are converted to DICOM (Digital Image Communications in Medicine) format. Using DesAcc’s Digital Jacket software, the DICOM images are transferred to a Power Mac. There, the Voxpad software reconstructs the 2D “slices” into a 3D view of the anatomy, which simulates the corresponding Voxgram from that view (a Simgram). A technologist or physician views the initial images, honing in on the specific area that will best exemplify the patient’s pathology. Using lossless compression in QuickTime, the 3D image data is then compressed into a small QuickTime file that is transmitted via standard modem to Voxel’s patient database.
“The Power Mac provides the performance required to gain a very realistic view of how the Voxgram will look.”
— Michael Dalton, Founder and Chief Information Officer for Voxel, Inc.
Using OpenGL to transform the 2D slices and QuickTime VR, which uses real-time 3D object manipulation to provide the illusion of volume, Voxel creates a variety of QuickTime movies that closely approximate how the final, printed Voxgram will look. These movies can be reviewed either on the hospital network or remotely from Voxel’s web site, enabling the radiologist or surgeon to determine precisely which views will be most useful. Once selected, Voxel prints the image onto film using a Voxcam laser camera, then sends the Voxgram to the surgeon via overnight mail. Surgeons view the Voxgram using the Voxbox holographic lightbox.
Power to Spare
While converting the 2D image “slices” to 3D images, the Power Mac computer must process from 20 to 120 megabytes of pixel data as many times per second as possible to achieve the real-time 3D manipulation required to approximate the Voxgram. Without extremely high performance, radiologists and surgeons can’t get a clear view of how the image will ultimately look. “The raw processing power of this application really stresses computer systems,” says Dalton. “The Power Mac provides the performance required to gain a very realistic view of how the Voxgram will look, and that’s essential to the success of our service.”
Poised for Surgical Success
The Power Mac combines complex processing with digital imaging, all in real time. Plus, the platform’s cost-effectiveness and trouble-free, easy operation is essential for medical environments. As a next step, Voxel is creating an object-oriented database that will track when, how, and where the patient’s Voxgrams were created. For this, the company will take advantage of the multitasking capabilities of Mac OS X to drive multiple servers containing archived patient image information.
For Voxel, the Power Mac, as well as advanced imaging technologies such as QuickTime VR, provide the foundation for a system that’s poised to improve the success of high-stake surgeries. Just ask one of the company’s founders whose daughter recently underwent surgery for a brain tumor. Using a Voxgram, the surgeon was able to remove the tumor more effectively than he might have had he not been able to access a 3D X-ray view. Who knows? Her transparent twin, the Voxgram, may have saved her life.