Shape analysis, semantic annotation and context modelling for the retrieval of 3D anatomical structures

This paper is devoted to the presentation of a framework for the description of anatomical structures, based both on topological and geometrical features and on semantic annotation. We argue that a 3D model-representing an anatomical structure—may be enhanced with other non-geometrical pieces of information relevant to the particular problem-context. Hybrid methods for similarity searches are then introduced and shown to be able to support effective case-based reasoning procedures. The approach is illustrated with examples from several medical application fields in order to discuss its potential impact.