Framework for development of three-dimensional digital atlas of human anatomy

Abstract

Objectives: The overall aim is to propose a general framework to build any kind of interactive digital atlas. It can be used either as pedagogical support to study human anatomy or as a tool to aid health pro-fessionals improving the quality of the human re-sources formation. Methods: To illustrate the use of the proposed methodology was build an atlas of in-tracranial human anatomy. We used 3D surface ren-dering techniques to create a brain atlas that would allow us to correlate bi-dimensional MRI images with 3D brain structures. Results: The system was coded in Java and distributed under GNU/GLP license, ma-king it available to use and/or to expand and serve as an educational tool allow medical students to use it to evaluate the special relationships among structures. Conclusions: The characteristics of the obtained Atlas are essential in the Brazilian public health context, where professionals in several different geographical locations (submitted to distinct informatics infra-structure) need to be trained.