Medical Imaging

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

With respect to the AA referring system defined for the Master in Biomedical Engineering, the course contributes to the development, mastery and assessment of the following skills :

• AA1.1, AA1.2, AA1.3
• AA2.1, AA2.2, AA2.3, AA2.4
• AA4.1, AA4.2, AA4.4
• AA5.2, AA5.4

a.      Domain-related learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to :

Part 1 (digital image processing) :

• Define formally the concept of image and its properties (size, matrix of pixels/voxels, colormap, histogram, color or channel encoding, encoding of the matrix, compression, frequency space representation). (axis 1.1)
• List the main classes of problems solved by image processing (denoising, deconvolution, filtering, edge detection, segmentation, registration). (axes 1.1 et 1.2)
• List a few typical methods used to solve these different classes of problems. (axis 1.2)
• Justify the choice of a method (data representation, criterion to be optimized) with respect to simple problems (segmentation of a slice, registration of two slices, etc.). (axes 1.3 et 2.3)
• Solve these simple problems by implementing in Matlab the algorithms corresponding to the methods described in the course. (axes 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)

Part 2 (MRI and echography) :

• Describe the physical principle behind magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) : Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (spin, excitation, reception, relaxation, chemical shift,¿). (axe 1.1)
• Describe the principle that allows image reconstruction: gradients, slice/volume selection, frequency/phase encoding, k-space, Fourier transform, resolution, ¿, and describe the possible artifacts. (axes 1.1 et 1.2)
• List and describe some sequences used for image acquisition (spin echo and gradient echo, ultrafast sequences and echo planar imaging) and compare their advantages, drawbacks, and application conditions. (axe 1.1)
• List and describe the possible contrasts : proton density, T1, T2, T2*, flow, diffusion, perfusion, functional and spectroscopic imaging. (axe 1.1)
• Explain the principles of ultrasound imaging : ultrasounds, transducers, image formation and image quality, Doppler imaging,¿ (axe 1.1)

Part 3 (imaging modalities using ionizing radiation) :

• List the different imaging modalities described in the course (radiography, computerized tomography, scintigraphy, SPECT, and PET) and explain their underlying principle (mainly from the physics point of view), mention their applications, advantages and limitations. (axis 1.1)
• Compare the performances of the different modalities together with the quality of the images (resolution, noise, contrast). (axis 1.2)
• Discuss the specificity of each technique and the complementarity of the different modalities.  (axis 2.3)

b.      Transversal learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to :

• Meet the objectives of a course given in English (understanding of the magistral lecture and of the supporting material). (axes 5.2 et 5.4)
• Work in groups of two on small projects (challenges), namely : be able to share and distribute the workload, understand and describe the work of the other student, write a joint report. (axes 4.1, 4.2 et 4.4)