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Open research questions in Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications

126 gap statements mined from Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 918 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The shapes of patella and fibula are partially or completely occluded in input views, resulting in higher reconstruction error. The framework requires a significant amount of unlabeled data to train a highly competent network. The performance degrades sharply when using either insufficient labeled data or limited unlabeled data.

    Real-time reconstruction of 3D bone models via very-low-dose protocols · 2026 · DOI

  • The typical method for obtaining patient-specific bone models involves undergoing a computed tomography (CT) scan, but this method has limitations. There is a need for a method that can produce highly accurate reconstructions of bone models from biplanar X-ray projections. The existing methods for bone reconstruction have limitations, such as high radiation doses and long scanning times.

    Real-time reconstruction of 3D bone models via very-low-dose protocols · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a unified framework for cross-platform harmonization of multi-tracer PET quantification.

    A unified deep learning framework for cross-platform harmonization of multi-tracer PET quantification in neurodegenerative disease · 2026 · DOI

  • Respiratory motion can affect PET image quality. One way to reduce motion effects is respiratory gating, but the current methods have limitations.

    Deep learning-enhanced data-driven gating improves FDG PET/CT clinical image quality · 2026 · DOI

  • The impact of CBM on image quality, noise, and quantitative performance in LAFOV PET/CT has not yet been evaluated.

    Continuous bed motion versus step-and-shoot acquisition in LAFOV PET/CT: insights from multi-phantom and patient studies · 2026 · DOI

  • The study did not include scatter correction, which may reduce image contrast and affect quantitative accuracy. The study used a limited number of phantoms and acquisition modes.

    Implementation of continuous bed motion acquisition on a preclinical digital PET/CT system: Monte Carlo simulation and experimental measurements · 2026 · DOI

  • The trained model is not limited to a specific scanner; it can be applied to different PET scanners, enabling the generation of ASC PET even on PET scanners without CT or MR capabilities. 5D training strategy, processing slices with adjacent contextual information rather than full 3D volumes, to reduce computational demands and enable effective learning from limited data.

    GPDM: generation-prior diffusion model for accelerated direct attenuation and scatter correction of whole-body 18F-FDG PET · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap is that prior deep generative models often suffer from issues like mode collapse. The paper identifies the need for a stable and efficient model for image restoration tasks. The gap is that prior models may not effectively balance noise removal and maintaining image quality.

    ControlMambaIR: conditional controls with state-space model for image restoration · 2026 · DOI

  • The study is a preliminary study, requiring further investigation. The study only examined one patient's 18F-FDG brain image.

    Impact of Image Reconstruction on Quantitative Analysis of 18F-FDG PET in Epilepsy Evaluation: A Preliminary Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of optimal image reconstruction configurations for reliable clinical decision-making in epilepsy evaluation. The need for further investigation into the influence of image reconstruction configurations on quantitative metrics within cerebral PET images.

    Impact of Image Reconstruction on Quantitative Analysis of 18F-FDG PET in Epilepsy Evaluation: A Preliminary Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The clinical significance of initial FDG PET/CT reports in patients subsequently diagnosed with cancer remains unclear. There is a need to investigate the proportion of malignancies suggested in the initial imaging reports.

    Initial screening fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography reports in patients subsequently assigned a malignant diagnosis code · 2026 · DOI

  • The study is limited to a simulation-based approach. The sample size is small, with only a few phantom measurements. The study does not investigate the clinical efficacy of the portable US-SPECT system.

    Development of a Portable Integrated Ultrasound and Gamma imaging system · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for robust evidence on the use of [18F]FDG PET in immunotherapy.

    [18F]FDG PET during immunotherapy: mind the gap between evidence, imaging guidelines, and oncology practice · 2026 · DOI

  • The generation of robust evidence is necessary before clinical implementation. The paper does not provide a comprehensive analysis of all possible clinical scenarios. The study is limited to a review of the available literature.

    [18F]FDG PET during immunotherapy: mind the gap between evidence, imaging guidelines, and oncology practice · 2026 · DOI

  • A systematic review also emphasized that direct comparative evidence remains limited, but available data suggest that metabolic response assessment may better capture clinically relevant tumour behaviour than size-based CT criteria alone in metastatic breast cancer.

    Stage-dependent performance and molecular subtype-specific relapse patterns on same-session [18F]FDG PET/contrast-enhanced CT in breast cancer · 2026 · DOI

  • The application of transformer-based architectures (referenced in the paper's discussion of recent advances in medical image analysis) versus traditional convolutional neural networks for cross-platform PET harmonization in the context of amyloid and tau quantification has not been empirically compared in neurodegenerative disease imaging.

    A unified deep learning framework for cross-platform harmonization of multi-tracer PET quantification in neurodegenerative disease · 2026 · DOI

  • The limited axial field of view of preclinical PET systems leads to reduced statistics toward the ends of the axial FOV. The step-and-shoot acquisition mode can lead to increased noise at the image boundaries.

    Implementation of continuous bed motion acquisition on a preclinical digital PET/CT system: Monte Carlo simulation and experimental measurements · 2026 · DOI

  • Declarations Technological advances, including total-body PET systems, improved motion correction, automated image-derived input functions, and AI-assisted parametric reconstruction, may substantially reduce current practical barriers to dynamic imaging.

    Are liver metastases from uveal melanoma a clinical indication for dynamic PET? A comparison of Patlak parametric imaging with standard and delayed static SUV imaging using long axial field-of-view PET/CT · 2026 · DOI

  • The study had a limited follow-up period of 12 months. The threshold of 1 month of institutional follow-up was not intended to ensure complete outcome ascertainment. The study does not provide information on the sensitivity of screening FDG PET.

    Initial screening fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography reports in patients subsequently assigned a malignant diagnosis code · 2026 · DOI

  • Clinical trials to investigate the efficacy of the portable US-SPECT system. Further development of the image fusion algorithms. Investigation of the system's potential applications in other medical imaging domains.

    Development of a Portable Integrated Ultrasound and Gamma imaging system · 2026 · DOI

  • The dataset size may be relatively limited, which may disadvantage the larger transformer-based models. The framework operates with approximately 50% missing data and 1/3 missing detectors.

    Two-stage deep learning framework for the restoration of incomplete-ring PET images · 2026 · DOI

  • Shortened dynamic protocols based on population-based or image-derived input functions have already shown that clinically feasible 20–30 min dynamic FDG PET acquisitions can generate multiparametric images with acceptable quantitative performance, suggesting that future work should focus on multicenter validation, harmonization across vendors, and tracer-specific optimization rather than simply proving technical…

    Whole-Body Dynamic Positron Emission and Computed Tomography (WBD-PET/CT): Latest Developments, Challenges and Opportunities · 2026 · DOI

  • Further evaluation of PETfectior on images acquired with different counting statistics. Comparison of PETfectior with other denoising solutions. Investigation of the potential of PETfectior to improve the diagnostic accuracy of PET scans.

    Maintaining SUV accuracy in low-count PET with PETfectior: a deep learning denoising solution · 2026 · DOI

  • Several cross-cutting themes emerge from this collection. First, AI integration spans the entire imaging chain, from acquisition protocol optimization and motion correction to reconstruction, segmentation, and clinical decision support.

    Editorial: Emerging fast medical imaging techniques in radiology · 2026 · DOI

  • To further improve the performance of the framework using larger datasets. To apply the framework to various clinical applications, such as brain imaging and cancer diagnosis.

    Two-stage deep learning framework for the restoration of incomplete-ring PET images · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a need for a method that can produce highly accurate reconstructions of bone models from biplanar X-ray projections (“Real-time reconstruction of 3D bone models via very-low-dose protocols”, 2026); (2) The lack of a unified framework for cross-platform harmonization of multi-tracer PET quantification (“A unified deep learning framework for cross-platform harmonization of…”, 2026); (3) The impact of CBM on image quality, noise, and quantitative performance in LAFOV PET/CT has not yet been evaluated (“Continuous bed motion versus step-and-shoot acquisition in LAFOV PET/CT:…”, 2026); (4) The lack of optimal image reconstruction configurations for reliable clinical decision-making in epilepsy evaluation (“Impact of Image Reconstruction on Quantitative Analysis of 18F-FDG PET in…”, 2026); (5) The clinical significance of initial FDG PET/CT reports in patients subsequently diagnosed with cancer remains unclear (“Initial screening fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography reports in…”, 2026). 126 gap statements have been mined from Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 918 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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