Image postprocessing and volume rendering

Nearly all images produced in a medical imaging department are processed to some degree. Some processing is done to make digital images look more like their film predecessors. Some processing is done to accentuate certain features (e.g., bone and soft tissue kernels in CT) or to provide higher resolution (e.g., MRA). This postprocessing is typically focused on producing images that are visually pleasing. However, postprocessing can also be used to improve the performance of a CAD algorithm, to produce renderings of components of the image set that are more useful. This chapter will begin with very basic image processing functions, and proceed on to advanced techniques that are increasingly being applied as a part of postprocessing enhancements.