Virtual dissection of the colon based on helical CT data-can it be done?

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer; and colonic polyps are known precursors of that particular cancer. Virtual dissection refers to a display technique for polyp detection based on helical CT data, where the colon is dissected and flattened as on the pathologist's table. The approach and image processing as well as the early experience are described in this paper.