An alternative method of three-dimensional reconstruction from two-dimensional CT and MR data sets.

Cross-sectional images for medical diagnosis and therapy are obtained by sonography, CT or MRI. We propose an alternative solution to the problem of constructing a set of cross-sectional contours from two-dimensional (2D) CT or MR data sets. The method reduces the problem of constructing a shape over the cross-sections to one of constructing a sequence of partial shapes, each of them connecting two cross-sections lying on adjacent planes. The solution makes use of a spatial mathematical formalism (Delaunay triangulation). MR investigations were carried out on different objects (hips, livers) to illustrate the two-dimensional MR data sets by the reconstruction method. The resulting images represent the original image data in a way that is more suitable for observation of 3D relationships than the conventional cross-sectional viewing model.