University Education and Academic Training
Wolfram Stiller is heading the section “Physics & Methods” of Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology (DIR) at Heidelberg University Hospital. After studying Physics at the University of Kaiserslautern and graduating in Physics from Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, he became scientific staff at the Max-Planck-Institute for Physics (Werner-Heisenberg-Institute, Munich) before joining the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg for conducting his PhD research in the field of Medical Physics in Radiology. He has been a senior research fellow in the department of Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology (DIR) at Heidelberg University Hospital since 2010, where he has established the section “Physics & Methods” and is working on his state doctorate in Medical Physics.
Fields of Research & Expertise
The main research area of the group “Physics & Methods” are the methodological, physico-technical, as well as mathematical fundamentals of radiologic imaging in the field of computed tomography. The focus is on modern techniques of quantitative and functional CT imaging such as dual-energy CT and CT perfusion, aiming at systematic investigation and further development of verifiable, generalizable measurements based on image data – so-called quantitative imaging biomarkers – for improving diagnosis (earlier, safer), therapy planning (specific, individualized), and monitoring of treatment response and progression (at an early stage). Further fields of research are the interrelations of achievable image quality (aim: maximization) and of patient radiation exposure caused by CT (aim: minimization) as well as Monte-Carlo simulation of computed tomography imaging.
Scientific Panel & Committee Positions
Wolfram Stiller is a member of the “Scientific Editorial Board” of the radiological journal “European Radiology” for its “Physics” section, and member of the “EuroSafe Imaging Steering Committee” of the European Society of Radiology’s (ESR) “EuroSafe Imaging” campaign.
- Physical fundamentals & clinical applications of computed tomography (CT) imaging
- Quantitative CT imaging methods (dual-energy (DE) & spectral CT)
- Functional CT imaging methods (CT perfusion & 4D-CT)
Platform Imaging
- Leutz-Schmidt P, Wielpütz MO, Skornitzke S, Weinheimer O, Kauczor HU, Puderbach MU, Pahn G, Stiller W. Influence of Acquisition Settings and Radiation Exposure on CT Lung Densitometry – An Anthropomorphic ex vivo Phantom Study. PLoS One 2020.
- Ackermann M, Stark H, Neubert L, Schubert S, Bochert P, Linz F, Wagner WL, Stiller W, Wielpütz M, Hoefer A, Haverich A, Mentzer SJ, Shah HR, Welte T, Kuehnel M, Jonigk D. Morphomolecular motifs of pulmonary neoangiogenesis in interstitial lung diseases. European Respiratory Journal 2020; 55(3): 1900933.
- Wagner* WL; Wünnemann* F, Pacilé S, Albers J, Arfelli F, Dreossi D, Biederer J, Konietzke P, Stiller W, Wielpütz MO, Accardo A, Lotz J, Alves F, Kauczor HU, Tromba G, Dullin C. Towards synchrotron phase-contrast lung imaging in patients – a proof-of-concept study on porcine lungs in a human-scale chest phantom. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 2018; 25(6): 1827-1832.
- Skornitzke S, Kauczor HU, Stiller W. Measuring Dynamic CT Perfusion Based on Time-Resolved Quantitative DECT Iodine Maps: Comparison to Conventional Perfusion at 80 kVp for Pancreatic Carcinoma. Investigative Radiology 2019; 54(11): 689-696.
- Stiller W, Skornitzke S, Fritz F, Klauß M, Hansen J, Pahn G, Grenacher L, Kauczor HU. Correlation of Quantitative Dual-energy CT Iodine Maps and Abdominal CT-perfusion Measurements: Are Single-acquisition DECT Iodine Maps More Than a Reduced-Dose Surrogate of Conventional CT Perfusion? Investigative Radiology 2015; 50(10): 703-708.
Dr. Stephan Skornitzke | Postdoc | ||||
N.N. | Postdoc | ||||
Neha Vats | PhD Student |
Lung Research - Projects
- Quantitative & functional CT imaging of the lungs
Beyond the morphologic depiction of anatomy and its disease-induced changes with high spatial and temporal resolution, quantitative and functional imaging methods are increasingly used in radiologic imaging. The aim is the acquisition of verifiable, generalizable measurements based on image data, so-called quantitative imaging biomarkers, for improving diagnosis (earlier, safer), therapy planning (specific, individualized), and monitoring of treatment response and progression (at an early stage). The group develops and studies CT- based quantitative imaging biomarkers and their clinical application for (automatic) detection and classification of lung disease; furthermore, they study e.g. respiratory dynamics by means of time-resolved CT imaging. - Pre-clinical CT imaging of models of lung disease
The group has set up a pre-clinical CT imaging laboratory (SAIL – Small Animal Imaging Laboratory) dedicated to lung research. It features a micro-CT system for imaging small animal models of lung disease in vivo as well as for high-resolution imaging of tissue samples with a spatial resolution in the order of microns. The group is using this infrastructure for studying underlying disease mechanisms (e.g. by means of morphologic-histopathologic correlation) and morphological markers of disease over time, amongst others in models of lung fibrosis (CF/PF) and pulmonary inflammation (PI). En route to non-invasive imaging-based virtual biopsies, the imaging research laboratory shall be expanded by capabilities for dual-energy and phase-contrast CT imaging with sub-micron spatial resolution. - Development of a research software framework & of quantitative methods for CT imaging
The group is developing their own manufacturer-independent software framework as a fundamental tool for systematic analyses of radiologic CT image data and for enabling research on quantitative and functional CT-based imaging biomarkers. The software framework allows for standardized determination and analysis of image quality metrics as well as for quantitative image quality comparisons or the comparative analysis of image quality differences between different CT systems, acquisition protocols and image reconstruction algorithms, e.g. for assessing new methods or technologies of CT imaging – especially in view of the specific requirements of quantitative CT (e.g. stability and reproducibility of results).
