Projects

Projects using MITK

All projects of the Department of Medical and Biological Informatics at the German Cancer Research Center use MITK for their software development. An overview can be found there.

Mitral Valve Modeling based on 4D TEE Data

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Background: In mitral valve surgery, the 4D transesophageal echocardiogram has become a standard imaging procedure. Yet, the enormous amount of data produced by this method is hardly exploited because of a lack of respective algorithms. In this project, 4D TEE sequences are used to generate a mathematical model of the mitral valve. This model can be used to perform precise measurements to quantify irregularities, to determine the success after a surgical operation or to compare different patients and treatments. Read more ...

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Quantification of Whole-Body Adipose Tissue

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Background: Investigations of prospective studies on the role of overweight and obesity are based mostly on simple metrics such as Body Mass Index (BMI) or waist circumference. The distribution of adipose tissue, which cannot be determined by these simple metrics, is correlated to metabolic syndromes of obesity. Since a while, whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used for a precise assessment of adipose tissue. Compared to the simple metrics, MRI provides an exact amount and the distribution of fat tissue. However, the major advantage of this data is the possibility to quantify the amount of different types of adipose tissue. Three kinds of fat can be distinguished: total, subcutaneous, and visceral adipose tissue.

Read more ...

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MITK Diffusion Imaging

The MITK Diffusion application offers a selection of image analysis algorithms for the processing of diffusion-weighted MR images. It encompasses the research of the Neuroimaging Group in the Division Medical and Biological Informatics at the German Cancer Research Center (dkfz). See DiffusionImaging for more info.

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Statistical tracking of tree-like tubular structures

The segmentation of tubular structures from 3D medical image data is the essential basis for many computer-assisted applications such as operation planning and the development of an individualized ventilation strategy. Our project has as its objective the development of a robust segmentation procedure to achieve precise results with few user interactions in a clinically feasible amount of time. Read more ...

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Dynamic Analysis of Respiratory Movement

In the course of numerous lung diseases, and following therapy, a reduction in respiratory motion and thus restricted pulmonary function is observed. New imaging techniques have recently provided non-invasive methods for depicting these changes. The aim of the project is to establish the technical basis for analyzing respiratory motion using 3D+t magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. To this end, one of the approaches currently being followed is to define vector fields that approximately reflect the motion of lung parenchyma during the respiratory cycle. The analysis of the vector fields permits conclusions about the movement, within a local area, and deformation of tissue. When coded onto a color map, this information may be used, for instance, to track how successful a therapy is over time. Read more ...

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The extensible open-source rigid and affine image registration module of the Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK)

Publication: Comput Methods Programs Biomed, 2010 Oct;100(1):79-86. <
> Authors: Stein D¹, Fritzsche KH¹, Nolden M¹, Meinzer HP¹, Wolf I^1,2 <
> Institution: ¹German Cancer Research Institute, ²Mannheim University of Applied Sciences

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Background: Although non-rigid registration methods are available or under development for many specific problems in medicine, rigid and affine registration is an important task that is often performed for pre-aligning images before using non-rigid registration. In this paper, we present a free and open-source application for rigid and affine image registration, which is designed both for developers and for end-users. The application is based on the Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK) and allows for inter-modality and intra-modality rigid 2D-2D and 3D-3D registration of medical images such as CT, MRI, or ultrasound. The framework as well as the application can be easily extended by adding new transforms, metrics and optimizers. Thus, developers of new algorithms are enabled to test and use their algorithms more quickly, spending less work on user interfaces. Additionally, the framework provides the possibility to use image masks to restrict the evaluation of metric values by the optimizer on certain areas of the images.

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Planning and Navigation for Minimally Invasive Radiofrequency Ablation

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Background: Minimally invasive procedures for cancer diagnosis and therapy are increasingly replacing open procedures in the clinical routine because of their protective character. Therapeutic thermal procedures such as laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT), radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and cryotherapy are, for example, increasingly being used in the minimally invasive treatment of hepatic tumors. The common underlying principle of these procedures is tissue destruction by means of local temperature changes. The success of the intervention crucially depends on the precision of the instrument insertion and thus the experience of the physician. After computer-assisted navigation on rigid structures has become an established practice in the clinical routine, the use of computer support in soft tissues has become limited to non-invasive diagnostics and operation planning. This especially can be attributed to the absent compensation of intra-interventional organ movement. The objective of this project is to develop, implement and evaluate new concepts for computer-assisted biopsies in soft tissues.

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Navigated renal access using electromagnetic tracking: an initial experience

Publication: Surgical Endoscopy, 2010 Sept; DOI 10.1007/s00464-010-1338-x <
> Authors: Huber, J.*¹, Wegener, I.*², Meinzer, H.-P.², Hallscheidt, P.³, Hadaschik, B.¹, Pahernik, S.¹, Hohenfellner, M.¹ <
> Institution: ¹University of Heidelberg, Department of Urology, ²German Cancer Research Institute, ²University of Heidelberg, Department of Diagnostic Radiology

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Background: Navigation systems are promising tools for improving efficacy and safety in surgical endoscopy and other minimally invasive techniques. The aim of this study is to investigate electromagnetic tracking (EMT) for navigated renal access in a porcine model. For our proof-of-principle study we modified a recently established porcine ex vivo model. Via a ureteral catheter which was placed into the desired puncture site, a small sensor was introduced and located by electro magnetic tracking (EMT). Then, a tracked needle was guided into the collecting system in a ‘‘rendezvous’’ approach. A total of 90 renal tracts were obtained in six kidneys using EMT, with a maximum of three punctures allowed per intervention. For each puncture, number of attempts to success, final distance to probe, puncture time, and localization were assessed. We compared absolute and relative frequencies using the chi-square test and applied the Mann–Whitney U-test for continuous variables. No major problems were encountered performing the experiment. Access to the collecting system was successfully obtained after a single puncture in 91% (82/90) and within a second attempt in the remaining 9% (8/90). Thus, a 100% success rate was reached after a maximum of two punctures. With respect to other established techniques, the use of EMT seems to decrease the number of attempts and procedural time remarkably. This might contribute to greater safety and efficacy when applied clinically.