STRATEGIES FOR 3-D VISUALIZATION OF OCULAR STRUCTURES

The ability to visualize noninvasively the internal structure of the b ody has been widely utilised in clinical and research applications. Cu rrent tomographic structural imaging modalities. i.e., x-ray computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging, produce image data whi ch can be processed to reveal the three-dimensional surface of an inte rnal object using surface rendering, or alternatively, the surface and internal details of the object using volume rendering. To take full a dvantage of these techniques, the acquisition and preparation of the t omographic data must be optimized for the imaging modality, for the ta rget tissue, and for the specific visualization needs of the structure of interest. Strategies for optimizing each of these parameters are p resented using, as an example, an x-ray CT study of a bony orbital fra cture.