VIRTUAL ENDOSCOPY - DIAGNOSIS USING 3-D VISUALIZATION AND VIRTUAL REPRESENTATION

Although flexible endoscopy is only 25 years old, a new technology may soon be used to provide the same view of internal organs without inse rting an instrument. This is virtual endoscopy. By acquiring patient-s pecific high-resolution digital images with a helical CT scan or MRI, individual organs can be graphically isolated or ''segmented'' into fu lly interactive 3-D reconstructions on a computer monitor. Applying so phisticated flight-tracking programs from military pilots, the organs can be ''flown through,'' giving a view identical to endoscopy. In the future we will fly through data instead of inserting endoscopic instr uments for gastrointestinal endoscopic diagnosis.