Evaluating Super-Resolution Models in Biomedical Imaging: Applications and Performance in Segmentation and Classification

Super-resolution (SR) techniques have gained traction in biomedical imaging for their ability to enhance image quality. However, it remains unclear whether these improvements translate into better performance in clinical tasks. In this study, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of state-of-the-art...

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Main Authors: Mario Amoros, Manuel Curado, Jose F. Vicent
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Journal of Imaging
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/4/104
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author Mario Amoros
Manuel Curado
Jose F. Vicent
author_facet Mario Amoros
Manuel Curado
Jose F. Vicent
author_sort Mario Amoros
collection DOAJ
description Super-resolution (SR) techniques have gained traction in biomedical imaging for their ability to enhance image quality. However, it remains unclear whether these improvements translate into better performance in clinical tasks. In this study, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of state-of-the-art SR models—including CNN- and Transformer-based architectures—by assessing not only visual quality metrics (PSNR and SSIM) but also their downstream impact on segmentation and classification performance for lung CT scans. Using U-Net and ResNet architectures, we quantify how SR influences diagnostic tasks across different datasets, and we evaluate model generalization in cross-domain settings. Our findings show that advanced SR models such as SwinIR preserve diagnostic features effectively and, when appropriately applied, can enhance or maintain clinical performance even in low-resolution contexts. This work bridges the gap between image quality enhancement and practical clinical utility, providing actionable insights for integrating SR into real-world biomedical imaging workflows.
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spelling doaj-art-32b5bda80c954497a981ec2967c837f62025-08-20T03:13:45ZengMDPI AGJournal of Imaging2313-433X2025-03-0111410410.3390/jimaging11040104Evaluating Super-Resolution Models in Biomedical Imaging: Applications and Performance in Segmentation and ClassificationMario Amoros0Manuel Curado1Jose F. Vicent2Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig, Ap. Correos 99, E-03080 Alicante, SpainDepartment of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig, Ap. Correos 99, E-03080 Alicante, SpainDepartment of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig, Ap. Correos 99, E-03080 Alicante, SpainSuper-resolution (SR) techniques have gained traction in biomedical imaging for their ability to enhance image quality. However, it remains unclear whether these improvements translate into better performance in clinical tasks. In this study, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of state-of-the-art SR models—including CNN- and Transformer-based architectures—by assessing not only visual quality metrics (PSNR and SSIM) but also their downstream impact on segmentation and classification performance for lung CT scans. Using U-Net and ResNet architectures, we quantify how SR influences diagnostic tasks across different datasets, and we evaluate model generalization in cross-domain settings. Our findings show that advanced SR models such as SwinIR preserve diagnostic features effectively and, when appropriately applied, can enhance or maintain clinical performance even in low-resolution contexts. This work bridges the gap between image quality enhancement and practical clinical utility, providing actionable insights for integrating SR into real-world biomedical imaging workflows.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/4/104super-resolutionsegmentationclassification
spellingShingle Mario Amoros
Manuel Curado
Jose F. Vicent
Evaluating Super-Resolution Models in Biomedical Imaging: Applications and Performance in Segmentation and Classification
Journal of Imaging
super-resolution
segmentation
classification
title Evaluating Super-Resolution Models in Biomedical Imaging: Applications and Performance in Segmentation and Classification
title_full Evaluating Super-Resolution Models in Biomedical Imaging: Applications and Performance in Segmentation and Classification
title_fullStr Evaluating Super-Resolution Models in Biomedical Imaging: Applications and Performance in Segmentation and Classification
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating Super-Resolution Models in Biomedical Imaging: Applications and Performance in Segmentation and Classification
title_short Evaluating Super-Resolution Models in Biomedical Imaging: Applications and Performance in Segmentation and Classification
title_sort evaluating super resolution models in biomedical imaging applications and performance in segmentation and classification
topic super-resolution
segmentation
classification
url https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/4/104
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AT manuelcurado evaluatingsuperresolutionmodelsinbiomedicalimagingapplicationsandperformanceinsegmentationandclassification
AT josefvicent evaluatingsuperresolutionmodelsinbiomedicalimagingapplicationsandperformanceinsegmentationandclassification