Mayo Clinic and IBM Score Significant Advance in Real-Time Medical Imaging

Mayo Clinic and IBM Score Significant Advance in Real-Time Medical Imaging

Collaborators from Mayo Clinic and IBM (NYSE: IBM) have exploited parallel computer architecture and memory bandwidth to dramatically speed up the processing of 3-D medical images. The advance significantly aids image registration — the computer-enhanced alignment of two medical images obtained at different dates or by using different imaging devices, in three-dimensional space. With the images properly aligned over one another, a radiologist can more easily detect structural changes such as the growth or shrinkage of tumors.

The results will be presented in full in a joint presentation by Mayo Clinic and IBM at the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging in Washington, D.C., April 12-15. “This alignment of images both improves the accuracy of interpretation and improves radiologist efficiency, particularly for diseases like cancer,” says Mayo radiology researcher Bradley Erickson, M.D., Ph.D.

Through porting and optimization of Mayo Clinic’s Image Registration Application on the IBM® BladeCenter® QS20 ‘Cell Blade,’ the application produced image results fifty times faster than the application running on a traditional processor configuration. One way medical images are being improved is by using visual images from more than one source — magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) scans for example. The generation of computer-enhanced images from multiple sources must begin with accurate alignment of the visual data. When three dimensions and millions of pixels are involved, the task becomes exponentially complex. Within this scope, the need for higher processing speeds is essential.

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