Abstract
This chapter explores developments in immersive interactive virtual environments for solving core challenges represented by advances in medical imaging and the emergence of medical big data. Visualization systems for large-scale data sets are increasingly focused on effectively representing many levels of complexity. The discussion is foregrounded by an overview of advances in medical imaging and selected existing visualization paradigms, together with a description of essential data management requirements. In addition to describing a range of distinct state-of-the-art visualization environments at key research universities, a corresponding set of case studies are introduced to explore the affordances and constraints of these systems in relation to the experimental research undertaken with them. The discussion includes new developments in, and requirements for, this emerging field of research.