An Image Overlay system for medical data visualization

Image Overlay is a computer display technique which superimposes computer i mages over the user's direct view of the real world. The images are transfo rmed in real-time so they appear to the user to be an integral part of the surrounding environment. By using Image Overlay with three-dimensional medi cal images such as CT reconstructions, a surgeon can visualize the data 'in -vivo', exactly positioned within the patient's anatomy, and potentially en hance the surgeon's ability to perform a complex procedure. This paper desc ribes prototype Image Overlay systems and initial experimental results from those systems. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.