- Task: Cut a hole on the skull to simulate a craniotomy. The same method can be used anytime a segment has to be partitioned to multiple segments.
- Imaging modality: any
Have a segment that need to be cut/partitioned into multiple pieces.
- Create a new segment that will contain the parts separated from the existing segment
- Click
Show 3D
button to see the segment in 3D - Use
Scissors
effect withFill inside
option to cut a hole - Rotate view, select original segment, and use
Scissors
effect again to add back regions to the original segment that should not have been cut out (e.g., other side of the skull)
- Download
CT-MR Brain
sample data set - Go to
Data
module, select MRBrainT1 and MRBrainT2 data sets, right-click and delete them (we will not use the MRI images)
- Go to
Segment editor
module, clickAdd
button to create a new segment - Select
Threshold
effect, set 100.00 as lower threshold, and click Apply
- Click
Show 3D
button to see the segmented bone in 3D viewer.
- Click
Add
button to create a new segment, which will store the part that is separated from the skull - Select
Scissors
effect - Set
Operation
toFill inside
, as we will use scissors to fill new empty segment - Scroll down to
Masking
section and changeEditable area
toInside all segments
so that we do not add any new regions to segments, just allow editing within existing segments and outline areas in the 3D view that were incorrectly included in the segment (due to image artifacts) - Mark the boundary of the craniotomy in the 3D view by using the left mouse button
- Press
space
key to deactivateScissors
effect - Click the
eye
icon ofSegment_1
to hide the skull and rotate the 3D view by about 90 degrees. Scissors effect cut through the entire volume, so it created two holes. We will remove the hole on the other side of the skull by adding it to the first segment. - Select
Segment_1
in the segment list becase we will add back parts fromSegment_2
- Press
space
key to activateScissors
effect - Draw a curve around the parts of the segment that needs to be added back to the skull.
- Press
space
key to deactivateScissors
effect - Click the
eye
icon ofSegment_1
to show the skull, and click theeye
icon ofSegment_2
to show the cutout bone
Final result: