Extensive research efforts are underway to better take advantage of physically available signals, either to enhance the performance of established imaging techniques (e.g., ultra-fast PET detectors), or to use new information (e.g., spectral X-ray and CT imaging). This session will target original contributions specifically addressing developments in emerging new detector materials and technologies for a broad range of applications in medical imaging, with special emphasis on recent advances in the field (e.g., ultrafast scintillators, single photon counting detectors). Moreover, presentation and evaluation of innovative detector materials/technologies that are promising but not mature enough for clinical or pre-clinical use are particularly encouraged.

Technical and performance aspects related to pre-clinical molecular imaging instrumentation, techniques and systems such as spatial resolution, sensitivity, scanning efficiency, accuracy, and reproducibility. Special emphasis is on advances in high-resolution systems that push current performance limits (e.g., sub mm micro PET, sensitivity) to explore new molecular horizons as well as multi-modality small animal (e.g., mice, rat) scanners.

The growing clinical use of nuclear medical imaging in a broad range of applications for diagnostic as well as therapy monitoring purposes is posing new demands on the imaging performance of Emission Tomography instrumentation. While basic developments in novel detector technology used in multimodal devices will be covered in New Detector Materials/Technologies for Medical Imaging / Multi-Modality Systems, the focus of this specific topic will be on complete imaging system solutions. This includes innovative developments towards significant improvements in key features (e.g., sensitivity, spatial resolution, timing resolution, …), assessment of performance and image quality of PET, SPECT instrumentation and applications of multi-modal systems specifically aiming at clinical applications. Contributions addressing advances in hardware and software solutions for seamless integration of at least two imaging modalities (X-ray, CT, optical, MRI), one of which being either PET or SPECT, are also encouraged.

This session will focus on all imaging aspects related to development of intra-operative probes (e.g., gamma probes, beta probes as well as optical and other probes using non-ionizing radiation) with special emphasis on advances for monitoring therapy, minimally invasive treatment, as well as novel portable and/or dedicated imaging systems (e.g., dedicated cardiac, brain, or breast PET or SPECT, portable CT, mobile PET-CT), that open new opportunities in bedside imaging (e.g., intensive care units, in operating rooms, in-room imaging during treatment).

Original work pertaining to ionizing medical imaging modalities that do not rely on the visualization of single photon or positron emitting tracers (e.g., X-ray, computed tomography) will be the focus of this session. New hardware and software addressing current issues of transmission imaging, including improved image reconstruction techniques, 4D imaging, multi-spectral CT developments for both clinical and preclinical applications are particularly welcomed.

Original work pertaining to non-ionizing medical imaging modalities (e.g., magnetic resonance, optical, ultrasound imaging) should be submitted to this topic. Novel work using advanced imaging techniques that can be applied across modalities (e.g., sparse sampling, acceleration techniques) is particularly encouraged.

Quantitative medical imaging is affected by physical factors (e.g., scatter in ionizing imaging, noise, limited spatial resolution) as well as factors associated with patient physiology (e.g., respiratory and cardiac motion) that limit the accuracy that can be achieved in-vivo. This track pertains to novel techniques for compensating for the physical and other technical factors as well as the physiological factors affecting quantitation with special emphasis on recent advances in quantitative imaging.

This session will emphasize the development of novel approaches for the assessment of image quality as well as studies assessing existing algorithms for improved image qualitative and quantitative accuracy (including image reconstruction and post-reconstruction processing methodologies).

Novel work in the area of image reconstruction for any/all medical imaging modalities (e.g., SPECT, PET, CT, MRI, OCT) is encouraged for submission. Both analytical and model based iterative approaches are welcomed. Novel approaches for accelerated reconstruction, sparse sampling, model based reconstruction, etc. as well as the evaluation of the performance of these approaches are also welcomed.

The overwhelming increase of multi-modal information at the detector and image level makes it crucial to advance research for the development of algorithmic and automated workflows of signal and image processing that can reduce human intervention while preserving its experienced judgment. This track is devoted to original work in signal and image processing, as well as novel evaluation metrics. In particular, innovative contributions in evaluation methodology paving the way for reliable and cost-effective assessment of medical image quality is welcomed.

Kinetic modeling of physiological processes (e.g., radiotracers kinetics) is essential to understanding the pharmacokinetics of novel imaging and therapeutic agents which can be captured in parametric imaging. This track focuses on all aspects related to parametric imaging and tracer kinetic modeling, with special emphasis on new tracers and modeling techniques, as they pertain to pre-clinical and clinical imaging.

Ongoing research efforts aiming at developing increasingly complex instrumentation for medical imaging rely on the use of sophisticated simulation tools to reproduce with high fidelity the main aspects of the image formation chain, including interactions in the patient and detector and system assembly. This topic focuses on original validation and development of simulation tools aiming to support hardware and software developments in single or multi-modalilty imaging systems, as well as their application to medical imaging in diagnostics and therapy, with special emphasis on nuclear medicine. In particular, we welcome innovative contributions addressing crucial modeling aspects in terms of computational efficiency and accuracy in reproducing the physical interactions which affect the performances of the medical imaging systems.

Recent advances in the precision of the delivery of photon and hadron beams has yielded increasing developments in the field of image guided radiotherapy. This topic will include innovative research for the integration of imaging at the treatment site, as well as emerging techniques of in-vivo range verification in hadron therapy. Software solutions allowing an improved dosimetry for external beam and intra-operative radiotherapy applications are included in this topic. Novel applications of existing technologies or innovative solutions offering new image guidance possibilities in photon and ion beam therapy are welcomed.