The Institute of Medical Physics (IMP) at the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen-Nuremberg focuses on image quality and artefact reduction in x-ray based computed tomography (CT), among other things. The CT scanner measures projections of diverse body regions and produces, with the help of a computer, a three-dimensional image (voxel data) from a multitude of measured X-ray images.
Challenge
- The Institute of Medical Physics (IMP) at the University requires high computing power for the image reconstruction of the tomographic data. The goal is to process the data in real time, i.e. to conduct the image reconstruction simultaneously with the measurement taking place.
- Higher compute power allows not only to display the images faster, but also to use more complex algorithms enhancing the image quality and dose efficiency.
- Until now such performance was only possible with the aid of a computer cluster or with special hardware. The goal was a cost-efficient solution that is based upon a single server.
Solution
- A server based on the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 7300 series.
- Overall, the Intel system used by IMP compromises four Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processors 7350. This represents the computing capacity of 16 processor cores operating at a speed of 2.93 GHz.
- The result is high performance that allows, for the first time, to carry out tomographic image reconstruction on a standard computer in real time.
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