Veterinary Medicine: Bringing low-cost low-dose 3D imaging to the veterinary surgeons treatment room

该项目旨在为兽医使用的小动物提供3D成像系统（“小动物3D”\['SA3D'\]系统），该系统将于2021年3月25日至28日在英国小动物兽医协会大会上发布。该系统将是一种低成本、低剂量（与现有的2D成像系统相同）的便携式系统，可以提供3D图像，同时无需购买CT。创新之处在于使用“数字断层合成”（DT）在兽医应用中创建3D图像。DT通常用于医学成像（例如乳房筛查），但目前仅用于固定的高成本装置。创新之处在于：**创新1:**提供3D成像的外形因素，可以部署在现有兽医治疗室或手术室的标准手术台上，无需修改（包括使用单相电源）。SA3D将在相同的辐射防护法规下运行，运行成本与2D相似。SA3D的操作可以由兽医或护士进行，不需要专业培训或专门的专业技术人员。**创新2:**提供可在兽医实践中移动的3D成像，使3D放射成像能够传递给患者，而不是将患者带到3D放射成像处。SA3D可以在诊所外携带，使不能旅行、不能移动或需要紧急访问成像的患者能够快速访问成像诊断。**创新3:**创建一种新的商业模式（用于兽医成像），创建一个数据“存档”，机器学习可以应用于这些数据，从而允许开发新的计算机辅助诊断工具并将其部署给用户。设想偶然发现可以自动识别供临床医生审查，例如在调查原发肿瘤时识别肿瘤转移。**创新4:**使用改进的采集协议与先进的图像处理和数学技术（压缩传感）相结合，以增强成像，使系统可以获得足够质量的图像，用于具有大像素尺寸的大型检测器的口腔外牙科成像。这将避免需要获得多个口内图像，并避免兽医需要获得兽医口内系统。在环境方面，这将减少兽医对获得CT的需求，或者（如果现场没有CT）兽医将患者转介到其他中心进行成像。

This project is to deliver a 3D imaging system for small animal use by veterinary surgeons (the 'Small Animal 3D' \['SA3D'\] system) which will be launched at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress 25-28 Mar 2021\. The system will be a low-cost low-dose (~same as existing 2D imaging systems) portable system that can deliver 3D images, whilst avoiding the need to purchase a CT.The innovation is to use 'Digital Tomosynthesis' ('DT') to create 3D images in veterinary applications. DT is routinely used in medical imaging (for instance in breast screening) but is currently only deployed in fixed high-cost installations. The innovations are:**Innovation 1:** Deliver 3D imaging in a form-factor that can be deployed on a standard operating table in an existing veterinarian's treatment room or operating room without modification (including the use of single-phase power). SA3D would operate within the same radiation protection regulations and have similar running costs as 2D. Operation of SA3D can be by the vet or nurse without the need for specialist training or dedicated specialist technicians.**Innovation 2:** Deliver 3D imaging that can be moved within the veterinary practice to enable 3D radiography to travel to the patient, rather than to take the patient to the 3D radiography. SA3D would be portable outside the clinic, enabling quick access to imaging diagnostics to patients who can't travel, cannot be moved, or need urgent access to imaging.**Innovation 3:** Create a new business model (for veterinary imaging) that creates an 'archive' of data to which Machine Learning can be applied to allow new computer-aided diagnostic tools to be developed and deployed to users. It is envisaged that incidental findings could be automatically identified for the clinician to review, such as identifying tumour metastasis when investigating a primary tumour.**Innovation 4:** Use modified acquisition protocols in conjunction with advanced image processing and mathematical techniques (compressed sensing) to allow enhanced imaging such that the system can acquire images of sufficient quality for extraoral dental imaging with a large detector with large pixel sizes. This will avoid the need for multiple intraoral images to be acquired and avoid the need for the vet to acquire a veterinary intraoral system.There will be value in environmental terms of reducing the need for vet practices to acquire a CT or (if no CT is on-site) for vets to refer patients to other centres for imaging.