Abstract

Three recent studies have offered an unprecedented view of the human body. The Visible Human Project (VHP), the Visible Korean Human (VKH), and the Chinese Visible Human (CVH) have featured the serial sectioning of whole cadavers, producing cross-sectional images that methodically catalogue gross human anatomy. By volumetric reconstruction, these cross-sectional images can be transformed into three-dimensional images of anatomic structures. Compiling these three-dimensional images would create an invaluable library for medical education and research. The goal of this report is to promote the expansion of such a library of three-dimensional anatomic images and to help users fully understand and utilize the serially sectioned images. To do this, we will discuss the fundamental techniques and equipment used in the VKH and its preliminary experiments. We will also address new applications of the VKH, including virtual brain surgery, virtual endoscopy, and virtual cardiopulmonary resuscitation via the development of virtual dissection software.

Biography

Professor Min-Suk Chung, from Department of Anatomy, Ajou University School of Medicine, South Korea, received his M.S. & PhD from Yonsei University in 1989 & 1996 respectively. As one of the pioneers in the research field on digital humans, he created the Visible Korean Human, the 2nd around the World, after the Visible Human Project from USA. He has published various articles in this field at important conferences and journals, including the IEEE Trans. on Medical Imaging.