Patient-specific bronchoscopy visualization through BRDF estimation and disocclusion correction

• Published in: IEEE transactions on medical imaging Vol. 25; no. 4; pp. 503 - 513
• Main Authors: Chung, A.J., Deligianni, F., Shah, P., Wells, A., Guang-Zhong Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01-04-2006; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Artificial Intelligence; Bidirectional control; Bidirectional reflectance distribution function; Bronchoscopy; Bronchoscopy - methods; Computed tomography; Computer Simulation; Data mining; Distribution functions; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; image-based rendering; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Information Storage and Retrieval - methods; Lighting; Models, Biological; Navigation; Pattern Recognition, Automated - methods; Rendering (computer graphics); Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Studies; Subtraction Technique; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Two dimensional displays; User-Computer Interface; virtual bronchoscopy; Visualization
• ISSN: 0278-0062; 1558-254X
• DOI: 10.1109/TMI.2006.871550

This paper presents an image-based method for virtual bronchoscope with photo-realistic rendering. The technique is based on recovering bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) parameters in an environment where the choice of viewing positions, directions, and illumination conditions are restricted. Video images of bronchoscopy examinations are combined with patient-specific three-dimensional (3-D) computed tomography data through two-dimensional (2-D)/3-D registration and shading model parameters are then recovered by exploiting the restricted lighting configurations imposed by the bronchoscope. With the proposed technique, the recovered BRDF is used to predict the expected shading intensity, allowing a texture map independent of lighting conditions to be extracted from each video frame. To correct for disocclusion artefacts, statistical texture synthesis was used to recreate the missing areas. New views not present in the original bronchoscopy video are rendered by evaluating the BRDF with different viewing and illumination parameters. This allows free navigation of the acquired 3-D model with enhanced photo-realism. To assess the practical value of the proposed technique, a detailed visual scoring that involves both real and rendered bronchoscope images is conducted.