Strategies for 3-D visualization of ocular structures

The ability to visualize noninvasively the internal structure of the body has been widely utilized in clinical and research applications. Current tomographic structural imaging modalities, i.e., x-ray computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging, produce image data which can be processed to reveal the three-dimensional surface of an internal object using surface rendering, or alternatively, the surface and internal details of the object using volume rendering. To take full advantage of these techniques, the acquisition and preparation of the tomographic data must be optimized for the imaging modality, for the target tissue, and for the specific visualization needs of the structure of interest. Strategies for optimizing each of these parameters are presented using, as an example, an x-ray CT study of a bony orbital fracture.