Meeting Abstract

P1.49  Jan. 4  The Virtual Pig Head: Digital Imaging of Cephalic Anatomy TICKHILL, J*; WITMER, L; Ohio University; Ohio University jt188600@ohio.edu

Domestic pigs are used as biomedical animal models for several human disease states such as in temporomandibular joint disorders and mastoid air cell infections yet no digital representations of their anatomy exist. To address this problem, the Virtual Pig Project uses digital datasets to construct virtual models for research and education. Thus far, two heads were scanned using computed tomography (CT) at O�Bleness Memorial Hospital, Athens, OH. These data were imported into the program Amira and such anatomical structures as bones, muscles, brain, air sinuses, and blood vessels were digitally extracted and visualized, rendering a virtual construction of the head. The utilization of this data in visual comparisons to CT-imagery of key human systems highlights interspecies similarities and differences. The Virtual Pig Head has already provided a series of often dramatic 3D visualizations, including virtual dissection and vascular traces, ultimately to be delivered through an interactive website. These virtual data provide an important new resource for researchers in the biomedical field and beyond.