OpenCLIPER: An OpenCL-Based C++ Framework for Overhead-Reduced Medical Image Processing and Reconstruction on Heterogeneous Devices

Abstract

Medical image processing is often limited by the computational cost of the involved algorithms. Whereas dedicated computing devices (GPUs in particular) exist and do provide significant efficiency boosts, they have an extra cost of use in terms of housekeeping tasks (device selection and initialization, data streaming, synchronization with the CPU and others), which may hinder developers from using them. This paper describes an OpenCL-based framework that is capable of handling dedicated computing devices seamlessly and that allows the developer to concentrate on image processing tasks.The framework handles automatically device discovery and initialization, data transfers to and from the device and the file system and kernel loading and compiling. Data structures need to be defined only once independently of the computing device; code is unique, consequently, for every device, including the host CPU. Pinned memory/buffer mapping is used to achieve maximum performance in data transfers.Code fragments included in the paper show how the computing device is almost immediately and effortlessly available to the users algorithms, so they can focus on productive work. Code required for device selection and initialization, data loading and streaming and kernel compilation is minimal and systematic. Algorithms can be thought of as mathematical operators (called processes), with input, output and parameters, and they may be chained one after another easily and efficiently. Also for efficiency, processes can have their initialization work split from their core workload, so process chains and loops do not incur in performance penalties. Algorithm code is independent of the device type targeted.

Improved Image Quality for Static BLADE Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using the Total-Variation Regularized Least Absolute Deviation Solver

“…Because the reconstruction apparatus is a separate module outside the pulse sequence, the T2 FLuid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (T2-FLAIR) can be developed further. Beyond the iterative reconstruction method, image reconstruction may be accelerated by leveraging recent machine learning frameworks [50]. Nonetheless, radiologists should further evaluate image quality following the integration of software frameworks whose different implementations may greatly influence the image quality, causing perceptible visual changes and degraded diagnostic values.…”

A parallel Canny edge detection algorithm based on OpenCL acceleration

“… work-items. OpenCL stipulates that Gx must be divisible by Sx and Gy must also be divisible by Sy [34].…”

Reconstruction techniques for cardiac cine MRI

“…Dedicated computing devices, graphics processing units (GPUs) in particular, provide significant efficiency boosts and, therefore, improve the reconstruction speed [49, 50]. Moreover, there are several frameworks and libraries with efficient and specialized reconstruction packages, such as the Gadgetron [51], the Berkeley advanced reconstruction toolbox (BART) [52], and the recently proposed OpenCLIPER [53]. Another discipline to consider in this field due to its high potential and generalization capabilities is machine learning, deep learning (DL) more specifically.…”