The problem of digitally reconstructing the image of the internal structure of an object from measurements of its two dimension-al projections, resulting from transmission of radiation through the object, has been of interest in mathematics, radio-astronomy, and biological sciences for over 50 years. About four years ago this problem suddenly assumed major importance in medical engineering after Houncefield and his associates announced the development of a sophisticated computerized x-ray scanning system capable of reconstructing cross-sectional images (tomograms) of the human head with high tissue-density discrimi-nation capability [23]. This development was heralded as a major breakthrough in diagnostic radiology because it, for the first time, permitted non-invasive visualization of the ventricles of the brain, as well as a large class of brain tumors and injuries. More recent research has demonstrated the success of this type of imaging with other parts of the human body.

Date Published: 11 March 1976
PDF: 14 pages
Proc. SPIE 0072, Cardiovascular Imaging and Image Processing: Theory and Practice, (11 March 1976); doi: 10.1117/12.954652

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0072:
Cardiovascular Imaging and Image Processing: Theory and Practice
Donald C. Harrison; Harry A. Miller, Editor(s)