Path planning for virtual bronchoscopy.

We have developed an automated path planning method, which enables virtual bronchoscopic 3D multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) image analysis and follow on image-guided bronchoscopy. The method fundamentals are novel combination of distance transformation and snake-based models. The computation time of our algorithm is faster than similar works and there were no missing or false branches in the final path of airways. The planned path is suitable for quantitative airway analysis and smooth virtual navigation.