MIMICS, Materialise's Interactive Medical Image Control System, is a fully integrated, user-friendly and interactive software program developed by a reliable software company, Materialise for the visualization and segmentation of CT images as well as MRI images and 3D rendering of objects. Therefore, in the medical field, MIMICS can be used for diagnostic, operation planning or rehearsal purposes. A very flexible interface to rapid prototyping systems for building distinctive segmentation objects is included in this software.
The software enables the surgeon or the radiologist to control and correct the segmentation of CT-scans and MRI-scans. For instance, the image artifacts coming from metal implants can easily be removed.
Initially, MIMICS provides a surgeon to easily visualise and then discover the underlying problem of the region of interest via 3D reconstructions which are drived in exact match from the patient.
Secondly, MIMICS provides a surgeon efficient solutions for diagnosis and treatment through coloring the 3D model which enhance small differences in the soft tissue or the bone. MIMICS reduces the risk factor considerably since it permits for any application on a 3D model directly derived from the patient in exact match before the targetted operation is undertaken which also in turn, reduces the operation period. In addition, the customized implant in exact match with patient’s anatomy derived from this 3D model helps patient enter an earlier and painless recovery stage as well as allowing the patient a more convenient personal use.
The object(s) to be visualized and/or produced can be exactly defined by medical staff through this software. No technical knowledge is needed for creating on screen the 3D visualizations of medical objects (a crane, pelvis, etc.)
MIMICS is a general purpose segmentation program for gray value images. There is no resriction for processing any number of 2D image slices (rectangular images are allowed as well) except for the physical memory of your computer . The interface created to process the images provides several segmentation and visualization tools.
3D Medical Modeling for the Separation of Siamese Twins
M.D., D.D.S. , H.K. Kawamoto – UCLA Medical Center says : “No matter how good 3-D Graphics are. There is nothing like a model in your hands.
(Photo Courtesy of Amy Wadel - UCLA)
