Explorative Imaging and Its Implementation at the FleX-ray Laboratory

Journal of Imaging, vol. 6, pp. 18

Abstract

In tomographic imaging, the traditional process consists of an expert and an operator collecting data, the expert working on the reconstructed slices and drawing conclusions. The quality of reconstructions depends heavily on the quality of the collected data, except that, in the traditional process of imaging, the expert has very little influence over the acquisition parameters, experimental plan or the collected data. It is often the case that the expert has to draw limited conclusions from the reconstructions, or adapt a research question to data available. This method of imaging is static and sequential, and limits the potential of tomography as a research tool. In this paper, we propose a more dynamic process of imaging where experiments are tailored around a sample or the research question; intermediate reconstructions and analysis are available almost instantaneously, and expert has input at any stage of the process (including during acquisition) to improve acquisition or image reconstruction. Through various applications of 2D, 3D and dynamic 3D imaging at the FleX-ray Laboratory, we present the unexpected journey of exploration a research question undergoes, and the surprising benefits it yields.

Authors 5

1. Sophia Bethany Coban corresponding

   Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica

   Affiliation as printed

   Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Science Park 123, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2. Felix F. Lucka

   Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica · University College London

   Affiliation as printed

   Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK

   Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Science Park 123, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

3. Willem Jan Palenstijn

   Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica

   Affiliation as printed

   Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Science Park 123, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

4. Denis Van Loo
   Affiliation as printed

   TESCAN-XRE NV, Bollebergen 2B/bus 1, 9052 Ghent, Belgium

5. Kees Joost Batenburg Aachen Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science

   Leiden University · Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica

   Affiliation as printed

   Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Science Park 123, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science, Niels Bohrweg 1, 2333 CA Leiden, The Netherlands