3D Slicer: A Platform for Subject-Specific Image Analysis, Visualization, and Clinical Support

Abstract

3D Slicer is an open-source platform for the analysis and display of information derived from medical imaging and similar data sets. Such advanced software environments are in daily use by researchers and clinicians and in many nonmedical applications. 3D Slicer is unique through serving clinical users, multidisciplinary clinical research terms, and software architects within a single technology structure and user community. Functions such as interactive visualization, image registration, and model-based analysis are now being complemented by more advanced capabilities, most notably in neurological imaging and intervention. These functions, originally limited to offline use by technical factors, are integral to large scale, rapidly developing research studies, and they are being increasingly integrated into the management and delivery of care. This activity has been led by a community of basic, applied, and clinical scientists and engineers, from both academic and commercial perspectives. 3D Slicer, a free open-source software package, is based in this community; 3D Slicer provides a set of interactive tools and a stable platform that can quickly incorporate new analysis techniques and evolve to serve more sophisticated real-time applications while remaining compatible with the latest hardware and software generations of host computer systems.