Three recent studies have offered an unprecedented view of the human body. The Visible Human Project, the Visible Korean Human (VKH), and the Chinese Visible Human 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 (3D) images of anatomic structures. Compiling these 3D 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 3D 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.
(c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.