Arterial stenosis is one of the main vascular diseases that are treated with minimally invasive surgery approaches. The aim of this study was to provide a tool to support the medical doctor in planning endovascular surgery, allowing the rapid detection of stenotic vessels and the quantification of the stenosis. Skeletonization was used to improve vessels’ visualization. The distance transform was used to obtain a linear representation of the diameter of critical vessels selected by the user. The system also provides an estimate of the exact distance between landmarks on the vascular tree and the occlusion, important information that can be used in the planning of the surgery. The advantage of the proposed tool is to lead the examination on the linear representation of the chosen vessels that are free from tortuous vascular courses and from vessel crossings.

Standing equine computed tomography (CT) acquisitions are susceptible to residual postural sway, which can introduce view-inconsistent motion and degrade image quality. External optical tracking based on ChArUco fiducials is a promising, low-cost strategy to enable projection-wise motion compensation, yet quantitative guidance on how camera–marker geometry affects pose-estimation performance remains limited. This CT-motivated benchtop study characterizes how the relative camera–ChArUco configuration influences both the accuracy (bias with respect to ground truth) and the precision (repeatability) of pose estimates obtained from RGB images using OpenCV ChArUco detection and reprojection-error minimization to estimate the rigid camera-to-board transformation. Controlled experiments systematically varied acquisition protocol (continuous repeated estimates at fixed pose versus cyclic repositioning), viewing angle over a wide angular range at two working distances, and camera-to-board distance over multiple depth settings. Ground truth for angular configurations was defined by a stepper-motor rotation stage, while distance ground truth was obtained by ruler measurements. Performance was summarized via mean absolute error and standard deviation across repeated measurements, complemented by variance-based statistical testing with multiple-comparison correction. Cyclic repositioning did not yield evidence of increased variability relative to continuous acquisitions, supporting view-by-view sampling. Viewing angle induced a consistent accuracy–precision trade-off for rotations: frontal views minimized mean error but exhibited higher variability, whereas oblique views reduced jitter at the expense of increased bias. Increasing working distance reduced repeatability, most prominently for depth-related components. Overall, these findings provide pre-clinical guidance for selecting camera/marker placement (moderately oblique viewpoints, limited working distance, sufficient image footprint) before in-scanner and in-vivo validation for standing equine CT motion compensation.

Standing equine cone-beam CT (CBCT) enables diagnostic imaging in weight-bearing conditions, reducing the need for general anaesthesia, but residual postural sway during acquisition can introduce motion artefacts that degrade image quality. External optical tracking based on a ChArUco fiducial and an auxiliary RGB camera is a practical strategy for projection-wise motion compensation; however, the impact of camera--marker geometry on pose-estimation performance is not well characterised. This study evaluates how viewing angle and working distance affect ChArUco-based pose estimation in a controlled CBCT-motivated setting. Pose estimates were obtained with an Intel RealSense D435 RGB sensor and OpenCV, using dedicated mechanical fixtures to vary viewing angle in 1° increments and to adjust the camera-to-board distance in 5cm steps. Accuracy and precision were quantified using mean absolute error with respect to ground truth and the standard deviation across repeated measurements. Continuous and cyclic acquisition protocols yielded comparable errors, indicating that repeated repositioning did not introduce substantial additional variability. Viewing-angle experiments revealed a consistent accuracy--precision trade-off for rotation estimation: frontal views minimise mean absolute error but exhibit the highest variability, whereas increasingly oblique views reduce variability at the expense of larger mean error. Increasing working distance was associated with larger standard deviations, particularly affecting depth repeatability. These results provide practical guidance for selecting camera placement and nominal viewpoints when deploying ChArUco-based tracking for motion-aware standing equine CBCT/CT workflows.

In the food industry, non-destructive inspection techniques have become increasingly prevalent. For Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, one of Italy’s most widely distributed and internationally recognized cheeses, traditional quality assessment involves hammerbeating examination as defined in the Consortium marking regulation. The sounds produced when the hammer strikes the cheese allow the expert to determine its quality before being introduced to the market. Depending on the classification, the wheels are assigned to a different use and thus acquire a different economic value. It is estimated that defects in the cheese result in an overall loss of tens of millions of euros per year for the dairy industry. Therefore, it is crucial to study the wheels at an early age to monitor the evolution of defects over time. To this aim, a customized cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) machine was developed which captures both single digital radiographs (DRs) and computed tomoraphy (CT) images and represents a valid non-destructive and rapid tool.