VIS-A-VIS is our basic research platform for the development of dedicated planning and simulation systems for minimally or non-invasive image guided therapies.

VIS-A-VIS provides basic image processing facilities which are essential prerequisites for image guided therapy planning and simulation.

• Data import for various three-dimensional image modalities (CT, MR, PET, SPECT, 3D-US)
• Basic image processing functionalities like noise reduction, filtering etc.
• Various methods for multi-modal rigid image registration (stereotactic, landmark based, mutual information, interactive by using image fusion techniques)
• Methods to calculate image deformations between different time variable three-dimensional image sequences (elastic registration), e.g. between planning images and verification images acquired during therapy.
• Functions for multi-modal manual and semi-automatic segmentation of therapy relevant structures, e.g. simple interactive drawing functions, iso-contour tracker, region and volume growing and various model based segmentation approaches
• Generation of three-dimensional patient models, either contour surface or voxel based.
• Fast display facilities from simple 2D display of initial acquired image slices and multi-planar reconstructions, arbitrary sections through image cubes, to 3D display techniques using surface models and standard visualisation libraries (like OpenGL) as well as various voxel-based rendering techniques.

The figure shows a cut out of VIS-A-VIS in image fusion mode. In Sagittal View 2 a section through an intra-operative 3D ultra-sound data set is displayed in Sagittal View 3 a section through an intra-operatively acquired MRI data set is displayed. Registration of both data sets was already done by applying a mix of stereotactic and interactive methods. The other three windows show three orthogonal sections through both cubes in one of the available fusion techniques. MRI information is displayed with a red colour scale US by using a green colour scale | © dkfz.de

In Result Mode it is possible to display, evaluate and compare results of various simulations.

In our department the basic technology of VIS-A-VIS is currently used to develop treatment planning systems for various kinds of radiotherapy (VIRTUOS, OCTOPUS) and for a dedicated planning systems for stereotactic neurosurgery and laser neurosurgery (STELA).

Beyond this applications VIS-A-VIS could be used for all kind of simulations where the results can be stored in a voxel grid and the stored information is related e.g. to applied intensities etc. (temperature distributions in hyperthermia, LITT laser induced thermo therapy or focused US therapy).

VIS-A-VIS is available under DEC UNIX, AIX, LINUX as well as under WindowsNT/2000.