1. Image Acquisition for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Applications

Medical imaging hardware can provide detailed images of the cardiac and pulmonary anatomy. High-speed imaging can be used to acquire time sequences showing tissue dynamics or can capture a snapshot of the changing anatomy at an instant in time. Some imaging modalities can also provide functional information, such as perfusion, ventilation, and metabolic activity, or mechanical information, such as tissue deformation and strain. With the appropriate acquisition protocol, some of these imaging devices can acquire 3D (volumetric) and even 4D (volume data plus time) data with excellent anatomic detail. This image data can be visualized using computer graphics techniques to show geometric information, and the data can be processed to provide realistic anatomic models for subsequent computer simulations that explore physiologic function. This chapter describes the most commonly used imaging modalities for cardiovascular and pulmonary applications and describes some of the advantages and disadvantages of the different modalities. New, emerging modalities that may be important imaging tools in the future are introduced.