Ares 
1on- 
; of 
rics 
ine, 
face 
del 
the 
rent 
the 
the 
2180 
.ned 
.deo 
1 so 
the 
sing 
but 
ors 
'ics 
ill 
or 
cal 
ric 
as, 
ial 
nce 
nic 
8. 
the 
at 
set 
in 
tal 
ise 
The 
ged 
ost 
  
The scope of biostereometrics in South 
Africa, using various sensor devices, 
  
STEREOMETRIC 
20 sanson 
ERA VIDEO 
    
  
REFLEX METROGRAPH 
REFLEX MICROSCOPE 
   
STEREO- 
  
  
CONTOUR MAP 
Pi 
ROFILES 3D COORDINATES 
SURFACE AREA 
CRT CONTOUR MAP VOLUME 
I 
PROFILES - 
STEREOSCOPIC DISPLAY SPATIO SEMPORAL 
| 
PERSPECTIVE VIEWS 
INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS STEREOTACTIC POSITIONING 
STEREOGRAMS | 
PROTON THERAPY 
  
  
  
Visible Spectrum Imaging 
2. SCOPE OF BIOSTEREOMETRICS IN SOUTH AFRICA 
is outlined schematically in the 
following two diagrams: 
  
   
COMPUTED AXIAL TOMOGRAPHY 
(car) 
  
  
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING 
(MAD) 
    
3D COORDINATES 
  
  
3D COORDINATES 
DIMENSIONS I 
SPATIAI 
IAL ANGLES L RECONSTRUCTION 
MORPHOLOGY 
STEREOTACTIC POSITIONING 
  
  
  
Non Visible Spectrum Imaging 
3. MEDICAL AND DENTAL RESEARCH PROJECTS MAKING USE OF BIOSTEREOMETRICS 
AS A PRECISE MEASURING TOOL 
To illustrate some of the research work 
concerned with the measure of biological 
form which has been developed by the 
UCT/MRC biostereometrics group, a few 
examples are presented here: 
3.1 VISIBLE SPECTRUM 
3.1.1 NON-CONTACT PRECISE MEASUREMENTS. 
The main measuring tool in these studies 
has been the Reflex Microscope 
(Scott,1981). 
  
The Reflex Microscope 
  
3.1.1.1 The rat portal vein screw. 
Although the helix (screw like structure) 
in the portal vein of the rat, pig and 
baboon was described over 20 years ago, 
the function remains poorly understood. 
This has been largely due to the lack of 
a technique for measuring changes in the 
screw under different conditions. In 
conjunction with the Department of 
Surgery and the Liver Research Unit at 
the University of Cape Town, the 
biostereometric researchers are using the 
reflex microscope to measure the size and 
characteristics of the helix on resin 
casts of the rat portal vein. 
Although the project is in its initial 
stages, interesting results are already 
being obtained as illustrated in the 
graphical plots included here: 
  
  
  
  
The screw of the rat portal vein