Three-dimensional demonstration of liver and spleen by a computer graphics technique.

Three-dimensional demonstration of the liver and spleen has been developed using a computer graphics technique. Three-dimensional models were constructed from organ-surface information derived from computed tomographic images. Three-dimensional images could be displayed as wire-frame or solid models on a color display tube. After examining the accuracy of this technique using a liver phantom, this technique was applied to the human liver and spleen. The anatomic surface of the liver and spleen appeared realistic when viewed from any direction. In liver cirrhosis, abnormal configuration of the liver and spleen was vividly demonstrated. The liver was displayed as a wire-frame, while a hepatoma was presented as a solid form in the same image. This combined display clarified the intrahepatic location of the hepatoma together with its configuration. It is thus expected that this technique will prove clinically useful in the noninvasive evaluation of patho-morphologic changes in the liver and spleen.