Reviewing state-of-art imaging modalities and its potential for biomedical applications

Objectives: Review many of the aspects that are relevant to biomedical color reproduction describing research performed on spectral imaging and reproduction, high-dynamic range imaging and displaying, color image matching quality assessment and color image appearance modeling for human tissue and discussing implications and potentials for dental imaging. Data: Collection of data from spectral estimation from camera signals, spectrophotometric measurements on paper and human iris, display characterization and psychophysical experiments. Sources: Past research on spectral imaging and reproduction, high-dynamic range imaging, color image quality assessment and color appearance modeling for images. Study selection: Selection from past researches related to biomedical imaging. Conclusions: By using spectral imaging techniques, the dental practitioner can capture accurate information about the physical properties of teeth and human skin of the patient. This image data is useful for matching the spectral reflectance of prosthetics materials to the biological tissue of the patient, thereby reducing the metameric mismatches that could occur under different illuminations. Spectral information would also allow the patient and the clinician to assess different treatment and material options on a display rendering for various illuminants, thereby depicting overall appearance. Spectral-based imaging system can guarantee the fidelity of imaging capture but there are more imaging aspects we have to consider. These aspects include color appearance models, dynamic range of image for contrast preservation and appropriate image quality metrics to judge color image reproduction results. In order to have use successfully the potentials of a spectral-based imaging system it is also necessary to consider other imaging aspects. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.