Uncertainty in Medical Visualization: Bringing Imaging and Simulation Uncertainty Together

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Lars Linsen; Professor Dr. Tobias Preusser
• Subject Area: Image and Language Processing, Computer Graphics and Visualisation, Human Computer Interaction, Ubiquitous and Wearable Computing
• Term: from 2013 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 241370238

• Final Report Year: 2022

Final Report Abstract

We investigated uncertainties in imaging and simulation and their interplay in the context of RF ablations. We developed stochastic simulations that allow for uncertain segmentation input. Moreover, we developed interactive visual analysis tools for the joint investigation of imaging and simulation ensembles. Since the simulation and visualization work packages had to be worked on in parallel, the visualization methods work on ensembles of non-stochastic simulations. The tools developed allow for an understanding of the regional characteristics of the uncertainty as well the influence of simulation parameters on the simulation outcome, which provides an improved insight into the simulation process. What was not part of the project was to bring the uncertainty-aware investigations to clinical routine, which would be a great step to take in the future.

Publications

• Uncertainty-aware Prediction in Spatio-temporal Simulation Ensemble Visualizations. Proceedings of the 14th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications, 216-224. SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications.
  Evers, Marina & Linsen, Lars
  
• Uncertainty-aware visual analysis of radiofrequency ablation simulations. Computers & Graphics, 79, 24-35.
  Ristovski, Gordan; Garbers, Nicole; Hahn, Horst K.; Preusser, Tobias & Linsen, Lars
  
• Studying the effect of tissue properties on radiofrequency ablation by visual simulation ensemble analysis. In R. G. Raidou, B. Sommer, T. Kuhlen, and M. Krone, editors, 12th Eurographics Workshop on Visual Computing for Biology and Medicine, VCBM 2022, Vienna, Austria, 2022. Eurographics Association, 2022
  K. Heimes, M. Evers, T. Gerrits, S. Gyawali, D. Sinden, T. Preusser & L. Linsen