Simulation studies in medical x-ray tomographic imaging

Computer modeling and simulation tools greatly promote the development of new diagnostic procedures and their associated technology. They are a key technology in designing, testing and evaluating the performance of the new forthcoming imaging systems, prior to their realization in clinical practice. Advanced x-ray imaging techniques are amongst those benefitting strongly from simulation studies. Such an example is Breast Tomosynthesis, a novel imaging technique, having the potential to extract additional diagnostic information in comparison to conventional mammography. However, there are questions on its clinical adoption in a wide range of applications. These can be effectively studied using Modeling and Simulation. Similar situations appear in almost all cases of x-ray imaging. This keynote speech will address recent studies carried out in the Biomedical Technology Unit, University of Patras, Greece, in the field of x-ray tomographic imaging using modeling and simulation techniques. Examples of application include breast and brain x-ray tomography imaging.