Computerized Scanning and Imaging Facility of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Dr. Anne Cohen of WHOI and a student work together analyzing coral data obtained from CT scans. (Photograph by Tom Kleindinst, WHOI)

CT Scanning Facility

CSI has operated a Siemens® Volume Zoom Spiral Computerized Tomography (CT) Scanner since 2001. The scanner, accompanying resources, and staff make CSI a unique imaging and visualization center for the research community.

CT is an invaluable tool for understanding internal structure. Two and three-dimensional visualizations of internal structure are valuable data for research topics as diverse as acoustic scattering models, core analysis, and biometric sonar models. Researchers interested in functional anatomy or pathology now have the opportunity to visualize tissues in-situ and undisturbed. This includes fine structures of soft tissue, fluids, fats, air, and bone.

Our CT scanner is capable of imaging a wide range of densities of varying solids, gases and liquids at 100 micron voxel resolution and 1m/min data acquisition. In practical terms, this means data showing internal differences in tissue density of a 100 to 200 kg, 2 meter dolphin can be acquired in just over two minutes and imaged at 100 micron intervals through the entire body. X-ray attenuations can be measured up to 40,000 gradations or Hounsfield units.

CT offers the advantage of matrix data for both the attenuations and reformatted images that are readily exportable to virtually any platform and are comparable with most modeling efforts. Currently, we provide reformatting with the provided Siemens® CT software, which includes Shaded Surface Display (SSD), Multiplaner Reformations (MPR), and Volume Rendering Technique (VRT) 3D post-processing. In addition, we use AMIRA®,Slicer 3D®, OSIRIX® and Merge eFilm®, 3D Visualization software.