What is the Goal of Medical Imaging Research?
Medical imaging visualizes the inner world of the human body
noninvasively. Its primary objective is to delineate the
structures and map the functions of organs and tissues, based
on the principles of physics, mathematics, engineering,
computer science, physiology and biology.
The ultimate goal of medical imaging research is to extract
the image features for physiological and pathological studies
of the organs and tissues utilizing the expertise of both
imaging scientists and research physicians. The basic
studies, for example, could be to film the sequence of embryo
development; to map the responses of the brain to visual,
auditory, olfactory and tactile stimuli; to visualize the
fluid dynamics in the myocardium; to screen the metabolism in
the liver; to profile the secretion process of the kidney;
or to quantify the targeted tumor response to administered
therapy.
The clinical goal of medical imaging research is to improve
the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis by cost-effective,
non-invasive, and patient-comfort means.
