Review of the Free Research Software for Computer-Assisted Interventions

Research software is continuously developed to facilitate progress and innovation in the medical field. Over time, numerous research software programs have been created, making it challenging to keep abreast of what is available. This work aims to evaluate the most frequently utilized software by the computer-assisted intervention (CAI) research community. The software assessments encompass a range of criteria, including load time, stress load, multi-tasking, extensibility and range of functionalities, user-friendliness, documentation, and technical support. A total of eight software programs were selected: 3D Slicer, Elastix, ITK-SNAP, MedInria, MeVisLab, MIPAV, and Seg3D. While none of the software was found to be perfect on all evaluation criteria, 3D Slicer and ITK-SNAP emerged with the highest rankings overall. These two software programs could frequently complement each other, as 3D Slicer has a broad and customizable range of features, while ITK-SNAP excels at performing fundamental tasks in an efficient manner. Nonetheless, each software had distinctive features that may better fit the requirements of certain research projects. This review provides valuable information to CAI researchers seeking the best-suited software to support their projects. The evaluation also offers insights for the software development teams, as it highlights areas where the software can be improved.