Color-coded volume rendering for three-dimensional reconstructions of CT data.

Purpose: To evaluate a technique of colored three-dimensional reconstructions without segmentation. Material and Methods: Color-coded volume rendered images were reconstructed from the volume data of 25 thoracic, abdominal, musculoskeletal, and vascular helical CT scans using commercial software. The CT volume rendered voxels were encoded with color in the following manner. Opacity, hue, lightness, and chroma were assigned to each of four classes defined by CT number. Color-coded reconstructions were compared to the corresponding grey-scale coded reconstructions. Results: Color coded volume rendering enabled realistic visualisation of pathologic findings when there was sufficient difference in CT density. Segmentation was necessary in some cases to demonstrate small details in a complex volume. Conclusion: Color coded volume rendering allowed lifelike visualisation of CT volumes without the need of segmentation in most cases.