Hybrid Visualization for Maxillofacial Surgery Planning and Simulation

Currently, many visualization methods are used in computer assisted medicine. It is commonly considered that a unique visualization scheme makes difficult the interaction and limits the quality and quantity of the information shown. In this paper we study the specific requirements of a maxillofacial surgery simulation tool for facial appearance prediction. The different stages of the application lead to present medical information in different ways. We propose to adapt visualization techniques to give a more suitable answer to these needs: a hybrid volumetric and polygonal visualization for the planning stage, as well as a scheme for surgery definition in 2D. Finally, we propose the use of mesh visualization for the simulated model, which previously requires the 3D reconstruction of the surface in order to be visualized.