An object-oriented approach for quantitative interpretation of multimodal images

A major problem when using quantitative images (i.e., pixels expressed in a functional unit like cerebral blood flow) is to design specific tools such as a data base, an image processor, and a graphical interface to extract local or global information in an intuitive way. This paper describes a software environment based on new concepts derived from object-oriented programming (OOP). This environment named MIRIAM, is network oriented, written in C++ (C language with object-oriented extensions) on UNIX graphic workstations, works on both anatomical and functional image modalities: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomograph (PET) imaging. The basic properties of OOP permit an easy upgrade of the MIRIAM environment and transparent data exchange with external software.