COMPUTERIZED BRAIN ATLASES AS DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEMS - A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

This paper deals with the development of computerized brain atlases ad dressing both research and clinical needs. The authors analyze in deta il the potential of these systems and discuss the capabilities and lim itations of the digital atlases currently being developed around the w orld. The authors propose to reconsider the concept of a brain atlas, regarding both its content, and the way it has to be used and managed in order to set up more effective cooperation between the user and the system. Particular emphasis a placed on extensibility and reuse issue s, which are critical in this rapidly evolving field. These orientatio ns result from both the authors' experience and the analysis of curren t trends in the field of neuroimaging. The general methodology is illu strated with examples related to computer aided surgical planning. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.