Fast interactive integration of cross-sectional image datasets and surface data for morphometric analysis.

To investigate external facial morphology and cell proliferation patterns and their relationship with cleft lip malformation in mice, we need to compare samples of mice tissue photographs and surface reconstructions from micro-CT scans obtained from mouse embryos. Tissue samples obtained through digital photography are typically misaligned with respect to each other, which prevents further analysis. We have developed a system for fast interactive alignment of these image stacks for volume reconstruction and data visualization and analysis in 3D. The system is designed to work in multiprocessor environments and can utilize an arbitrary number of processors, cutting down significantly the turnaround time and allowing users to quickly process sets of hundreds of high resolution images using a combination of automated and interactive tools. Additional modules are used to reconstruct the shape of the original subject. Our system is interactive, fully scalable and can be applied to any photographic sliced dataset, regardless of subject and reduces significantly the processing time for stack alignment.