3D Slicer

Slicer is a highly recommended, free and open source software package designed for visualization and image analysis. It is natively designed and available on numerous platforms, which includes Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. This software package has been utilized in clinical research in conjunction with IRB clinical protocols. Slicer is frequently used in image-guided therapy research to visualize and construct collections of MRI data that are available pre- and intraoperative. This enables the acquiring of spatial coordinates for instrument tracking, which is highly efficient.

Slicer has grown alongside image-guided therapy and has played an instrumental role, making it an important tool for the clinician. The software stands out for being able to produce 3D models from conventional MRI images. Moreover, it can present fMRI data (which is using MRI to assess blood flow in the brain related to neural or spinal cord activity), DTI data (which uses MRI to measure the restricted diffusion of water in imaged tissues), and electrocardiography.

For instance, Slicer's DTI package allows the conversion and analysis of DTI images. This further enables the integration of results from morphologic MRI, MR angiograms, and fMRI data, which can lead to comprehensive insights.

Overall, Slicer provides a unique and exceptional image-guided therapy research environment with easy accessibility for multiple platforms.