Liver resection has evolved to an established treatment for various
types of liver tumors. Detailed planning of liver resections requires
the assessment of liver (patho)anatomy and regional distribution of
hepatic function. A method is developed allowing the use of scans
depicting liver function together with the anatomical CT. By including
information about hepatic function, estimation of postoperative
residual functional liver capacity will be possible, which is critical
to detect a potential liver failure after surgery. To include
information about regional liver function, Hepatic Immunodiacetic Acid
(HIDA) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans are
used. The project develops methods for precise registration of SPECT
and CT data sets and highly automated AR based liver resection
planning tools even for atypical resections. The interactive process
of resection planning will utilize a full-blown AR environment,
including stereoscopic see-through head-mounted displays, an optical
tracking system and tracked input devices. Real 3D interaction allows
physicians to inspect, edit and plan different resection
strategies. Liver segmentation is addressed, since the registered CT
and SPECT data allows for new solutions of this problem. Individual
components for registration, segmentation and resection planning tools
and the whole approach to liver surgery planning undergo a careful
validation.