Visual Perception in Nuclear Medicine and Volumetric Data

Abstract

Any diagnostic decision that involves imaging techniques depends not entirely on the images themselves but also on the perception and interpretation by a radiologist. In fact, such human factors appear to be a bottleneck to imaging accuracy. A better understanding of visual perception and decision-making processes seem to be necessary for the advancement and optimization of medical imaging. Therefore, research on the accuracy of medical imaging draws on techniques from a wide range of disciplines in an attempt to minimize diagnostic errors and improve the healthcare system. This short review of the psychophysical studies in the radiological domain focuses on the recent work conducted in the visual perception of nuclear medicine images and volumetric data.