Of the existing atlases of the brain anatomy and cerebrovasculature, none integrates the anatomy and vasculature by providing for direct manipulation of three-dimensional (3D) cerebral models. An atlas-based application was developed in four steps: (a) construction of 3D anatomic models, (b) construction of 3D vascular models, (c) interactive spatial coregistration of the anatomic and vascular models, and (d) development of functionality and a user interface for the application. Three-dimensional anatomic models were imported from an electronic brain atlas database derived from classic print atlases. A novel vascular modeling technique was developed and applied to create a vascular atlas from magnetic resonance angiographic data. The use of 3D polygonal models allows smooth navigation (rotation, zooming, panning) and interactive labeling of anatomic structures and vascular segments. This application enables the user to examine 3D anatomic structures and 3D cerebral vasculature and to gain a better understanding of the relationships between the two. The combined anatomic-vascular atlas is a user-friendly neuroeducational tool that is useful for medical students and neuroscience researchers as well as for educators in preparing teaching materials.
(c) RSNA, 2005.