From Technical Prerequisites to Improved Care: Distributed Edge AI for Tomographic Imaging

Recent years have seen a surge in AI-driven medical image processing, leading to significant improvements in diagnostic performance. However, medical imaging technologies tend to create staggering volumes of medical data, necessitating high-performance computing. Cloud systems with robust GPUs and r...

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Main Authors: Bilgehan Akdemir, Hafiz Faheem Shahid, Mikael A. K. Brix, Juho Laakkola, Johirul Islam, Tanesh Kumar, Jarmo Reponen, Miika T. Nieminen, Erkki Harjula
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10843208/
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author Bilgehan Akdemir
Hafiz Faheem Shahid
Mikael A. K. Brix
Juho Laakkola
Johirul Islam
Tanesh Kumar
Jarmo Reponen
Miika T. Nieminen
Erkki Harjula
author_facet Bilgehan Akdemir
Hafiz Faheem Shahid
Mikael A. K. Brix
Juho Laakkola
Johirul Islam
Tanesh Kumar
Jarmo Reponen
Miika T. Nieminen
Erkki Harjula
author_sort Bilgehan Akdemir
collection DOAJ
description Recent years have seen a surge in AI-driven medical image processing, leading to significant improvements in diagnostic performance. However, medical imaging technologies tend to create staggering volumes of medical data, necessitating high-performance computing. Cloud systems with robust GPUs and resource capacity are optimal choices for DL-based medical image processing. However, transferring data to the cloud for processing strains communication links, introduces high communication latency, and raises privacy and security concerns. Consequently, despite the undisputed benefits of cloud computing, dedicated standalone local computers are still used for image reconstruction in today’s systems. This localized strategy uses expensive hardware inefficiently and falls short of scalability and maintainability. Edge computing emerges as an innovative concept by bringing cloud processing capabilities closer to data sources. A continuum of computing including local, edge, and cloud tiers would offer a promising solution for medical image processing. According to literature survey, there are no significant works on utilizing edge cloud continuum for CBCT imaging. To fill this gap, we introduce novel 3-TECC architectural concept, specifically designed for CBCT data reconstruction in medical imaging. This article explores the evolving synergy among medical imaging, distributed AI, containerized solutions, and edge-cloud continuum technologies, highlighting their clinical implications and illuminating the potential for transformative patient care. We uncover challenges and opportunities this convergence provides with the CBCT image reconstruction use case, while aligning with regulatory compliance. The proposed 3-TECC architecture advocates a decentralized data processing paradigm, reducing reliance on the centralized approach and emphasizing the role of local-edge computing.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2169-3536
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-d8933f47239442de9f2ae1cf63f9f1752025-01-25T00:02:41ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113143171434310.1109/ACCESS.2025.353029710843208From Technical Prerequisites to Improved Care: Distributed Edge AI for Tomographic ImagingBilgehan Akdemir0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4372-3041Hafiz Faheem Shahid1https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3350-0276Mikael A. K. Brix2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4646-6714Juho Laakkola3https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2256-2029Johirul Islam4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7523-0666Tanesh Kumar5Jarmo Reponen6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2306-3111Miika T. Nieminen7Erkki Harjula8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5331-209XCentre for Wireless Communications—Networks and Systems (CWC-NS), University of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandCentre for Wireless Communications—Networks and Systems (CWC-NS), University of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandUniversity of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandCentre for Wireless Communications—Networks and Systems (CWC-NS), University of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandCentre for Wireless Communications—Networks and Systems (CWC-NS), University of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandDepartment of Information and Communications Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, FinlandUniversity of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandUniversity of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandCentre for Wireless Communications—Networks and Systems (CWC-NS), University of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandRecent years have seen a surge in AI-driven medical image processing, leading to significant improvements in diagnostic performance. However, medical imaging technologies tend to create staggering volumes of medical data, necessitating high-performance computing. Cloud systems with robust GPUs and resource capacity are optimal choices for DL-based medical image processing. However, transferring data to the cloud for processing strains communication links, introduces high communication latency, and raises privacy and security concerns. Consequently, despite the undisputed benefits of cloud computing, dedicated standalone local computers are still used for image reconstruction in today’s systems. This localized strategy uses expensive hardware inefficiently and falls short of scalability and maintainability. Edge computing emerges as an innovative concept by bringing cloud processing capabilities closer to data sources. A continuum of computing including local, edge, and cloud tiers would offer a promising solution for medical image processing. According to literature survey, there are no significant works on utilizing edge cloud continuum for CBCT imaging. To fill this gap, we introduce novel 3-TECC architectural concept, specifically designed for CBCT data reconstruction in medical imaging. This article explores the evolving synergy among medical imaging, distributed AI, containerized solutions, and edge-cloud continuum technologies, highlighting their clinical implications and illuminating the potential for transformative patient care. We uncover challenges and opportunities this convergence provides with the CBCT image reconstruction use case, while aligning with regulatory compliance. The proposed 3-TECC architecture advocates a decentralized data processing paradigm, reducing reliance on the centralized approach and emphasizing the role of local-edge computing.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10843208/CBCTdistributed AIedge computingedge cloud continuumGDPRmedical imaging
spellingShingle Bilgehan Akdemir
Hafiz Faheem Shahid
Mikael A. K. Brix
Juho Laakkola
Johirul Islam
Tanesh Kumar
Jarmo Reponen
Miika T. Nieminen
Erkki Harjula
From Technical Prerequisites to Improved Care: Distributed Edge AI for Tomographic Imaging
IEEE Access
CBCT
distributed AI
edge computing
edge cloud continuum
GDPR
medical imaging
title From Technical Prerequisites to Improved Care: Distributed Edge AI for Tomographic Imaging
title_full From Technical Prerequisites to Improved Care: Distributed Edge AI for Tomographic Imaging
title_fullStr From Technical Prerequisites to Improved Care: Distributed Edge AI for Tomographic Imaging
title_full_unstemmed From Technical Prerequisites to Improved Care: Distributed Edge AI for Tomographic Imaging
title_short From Technical Prerequisites to Improved Care: Distributed Edge AI for Tomographic Imaging
title_sort from technical prerequisites to improved care distributed edge ai for tomographic imaging
topic CBCT
distributed AI
edge computing
edge cloud continuum
GDPR
medical imaging
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10843208/
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