State-of-the-art technology

Ultrasound technology.

Real-time 3D ultrasound imaging of high quality has recently been established. However, the use is still limited by image resolution and image noise and artefacts, and also with technical limitations for use with ultrasound contrast agents in the new and important areas of functional and molecular imaging.

Medical imaging applications for non-expert users.

In MR and ultrasound there is a wide variety of new and advanced clinical methods that are of great benefit for primary diagnosis, for monitoring of disease development (‘watchful waiting’), and for follow-up of drug treatment in chronic disease. However, presently these methods depend on expert users and can mainly be performed in specialised departments and large hospitals. The limitations for more widespread use for non-expert medical doctors in smaller hospitals and community based medicine are both in the acquisition of images of sufficient quality, and in the interpretation of the results with sufficient precision.

Image-guided minimally invasive surgery.

Image-guided minimally invasive surgery is gaining increased popularity as an alternative that cause less tissue traumatisation and quicker rehabilitation for the patients. However, presently the use is limited by lack of imaging technology adapted to the operation theatre and by increased risk of some intra- and post-operative complications that are avoided in open surgery.

Image-based information to support medical decision making.

New knowledge about individual variations in genomics and disease pathology and its importance for choice of the most efficient treatment has caused the development of the ‘personalised medicine’ philosophy. That is individually ‘tailor-to-fit’ treatment, based on more complete biological information about the patient and his/her disease entity through integration of knowledge of individual disease phenotype with knowledge of individual genetic expressions. However, this field of research is in its infancy and in great need of development of new methods and integrated diagnostic protocols covering in-vivo phenotyping from medical imaging and genetic expression based on image-guided sampling of representative biopsies. There is also a general need for scientific evaluation of the benefit for patient outcome.