CENTER FOR VIRTUAL IMAGING TRIALS

Computed tomography (CT), due to its diverse applicability and widespread availability, has become one of the largest sources of medical radiation exposure in the United States. This increased exposure, combined with our improved understanding of the carcinogenic effects of ionizing radiation, has necessitated the evaluation and optimization of CT protocols and technologies in a task-specific manner towards the goal of improving diagnostic accuracy while minimizing the radiation burden on the patient.

Virtual imaging trials (VITs), by means of realistic and validated simulations, offer an effective avenue to assess and optimize the performance of imaging protocols and technologies, including CT. By enabling comparisons with known ground truth, VITs provide an objective methodology to tune the performance of imaging methods to achieve maximal clinical performance, thus ensuring the achievement of quality and safety standards required for patient-centered care.

The Center for Virtual Imaging Trials (CVIT) is led and resourced by scientists and leaders with decades of experience in imaging science and practice represented in hundreds of associated publications. Our team has a strong track record of developing platforms and conducting simulations for VITs in CT that span a full range of clinical applications, including developing libraries of anatomically and physiologically realistic phantoms, manufacturer-specific CT simulators, and image analyses tools. We have close working relationships with leading industrial partners, including GE Healthcare,  Siemens Healthineers, and Heartflow.