Using computed tomography (CT) imaging and advanced manufacturing techniques, a team of experts has created a reproduction of a 1704 Stradivarius violin. Three-dimensional images of the valuable violin and details on how the replica was made were presented at November 28 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"CT scanning offers a unique method of imaging a historical object," Steven Sirr, M.D., a radiologist at FirstLight Medical Systems in Mora, Minn said . "Combined with computer-aided machinery, it also offers us the opportunity to create a reproduction with a high degree of accuracy."

To create a violin with the same characteristics as the 1704 instrument known as "Betts," Dr. Sirr worked with professional violin makers John Waddle and Steve Rossow of St. Paul, Minn.

Antonio Stradivari, an Italian who lived from 1644 to 1737, is regarded as history's greatest violin maker. Of the estimated 1,000 violins Stradivari made, about 650 still exist and are highly prized for their unique sound quality. There are many theories but no simple explanation for the superiority of the Stradivarius. Many factors influence a violin's sound, from the qualities of the wood to the instrument's shape, degree of arching and wood thickness, Prnewswire reported.