Ultrasound painting of liver vascular tree

In treatment planning and surgical interventions, physicians and surgeons need information about the spatial extent of specific features and the surrounding structures. Previous techniques for extracting features, based on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans, can be slow and cumbersome and are rarely used by doctors. In this paper we will present a novel approach to extract features from tracked 2D ultrasound, in particular hypo-echoic regions such as blood vessels. Features are extracted during live examinations, removing the need for slow and cumbersome post-scan processes and interaction is based on the natural interaction techniques used by doctors during the examination. The ultrasound probe is utilized as a 3D brush, painting features in a 3D environment. The painting occurs during a regular examination, producing little extra interaction from the doctor. We will introduce a novel approach to extract hypo-echoic regions from an ultrasound image and track the regions from frame to frame. 3D models are then generated by storing the outline of the region as a 3D point cloud. Automatically detecting branching, this technique can handle complex structures, such as liver vessel trees, and track multiple regions simultaneously. During the examination, the point cloud is triangulated in real-time, enabling the doctor to examine the results live and discard areas which are unsatisfactory. To enable modifications of the extracted 3D models, we present how the ultrasound probe can be used as a interaction tool for fast point cloud editing.