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National Center for Image Guided Therapy

Slicer Engineering

Visualization of ROIs in 3D Slicer that correspond to major anatomical fiber tracts. Visualization of some of ROIs outlined by the atlas. These ROIs correspond to the major anatomical fiber tracts.

Slicer Engineering focuses on the ongoing development of Slicer, the NCIGT's open source platform for surgical planning and navigation. Slicer's current version, 3D Slicer, is already being used in research protocols and further refined. 3D Slicer has its own web presence at www.slicer.org for users and developers. At this site investigators will find extensive documentation and support materials, including downloadable data sets. 3D Slicer services use publicly-accessible email lists that allow investigators to actively engage with the user and developer communities to answer questions and resolve issues arising from the application of the technology in new environments or the influx of new data. Information on 3D Slicer, including 3D Slicer toolkits and information on modules, is available within the Downloads section of this site.

Within the NCIGT, the Computation, Neurosurgical, and Prostate Cores have been the primary research groups involved in moving Slicer forward and directing its evolution. In the last few years, modules and tutorials related to those modules have been added to Slicer to improve its functioning in IGT. In fact, given that Slicer acts as an often necessary layer of interactivity and connectivity within IGT, it's safe to state that IGT is, in some part, developing as Slicer develops.

Recently, the combined efforts of NCIGT researchers have produced a number of Slicer advancements including:

  • 3D Slicer Prostate Module: A new 3D Slicer module for navigational use during MRI-guided prostate therapy with a needle placement manipulator has been tested in a 3T closed-bore scanner. The module has an integrated GUI to navigate clinical workflow, manage target points, and control a manipulator. A tutorial of the Application of Slicer in Prostate Intervention is available.
  • OpenIGTLink: The NCIGT created OpenIGTLink as a network protocol for data transfer of tracking and imaging with Slicer as the final destination. An open source software interface, IGSTK, can be applied to commercial trackers (NDI Polaris, NDI Aurora, Ascension Flock of Birds, and Ascension Microbird) so that tracking data can flow from the tracking device used in IGT procedures through OpenIGTLink to Slicer.
  • Tractography Functionality: NCIGT neurosurgical researchers have built into Slicer diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography visualization capabilities to color by diffusion tensor scalar invariants and to select regions of interest.

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Involved Investigators

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