# DiffDenoise: Self-Supervised Medical Image Denoising with Conditional Diffusion Models

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.00264 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.00264/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Medical imaging and segmentation, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models.
- Builds on 35 of its 49 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 31 Mar 2025.

## Placed in

- Diffusion models / [Medical imaging and segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/diffusion/medical-imaging-and-segmentation/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 35)

- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.02502/) (2020)
- [Diffusion Models Beat GANs on Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.05233/) (2021)
- [Deep Unsupervised Learning using Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1503.03585/) (2015)
- [Classifier-Free Diffusion Guidance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.12598/) (2022)
- [Improved Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.09672/) (2021)
- [Restormer: Efficient Transformer for High-Resolution Image Restoration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.09881/) (2021)
- [Beyond a Gaussian Denoiser: Residual Learning of Deep CNN for Image Denoising](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.03981/) (2016)
- [Uformer: A General U-Shaped Transformer for Image Restoration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.03106/) (2021)
- [Simple Baselines for Image Restoration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.04676/) (2022)
- [Noise2Noise: Learning Image Restoration without Clean Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.04189/) (2018)
- [fastMRI: An Open Dataset and Benchmarks for Accelerated MRI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.08839/) (2018)
- [Noise2Void - Learning Denoising from Single Noisy Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.10980/) (2018)
- [Denoising Diffusion Models for Plug-and-Play Image Restoration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.08995/) (2023)
- [Noise2Self: Blind Denoising by Self-Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.11365/) (2019)
- [DiffIR: Efficient Diffusion Model for Image Restoration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.09472/) (2023)
- [Generative Diffusion Prior for Unified Image Restoration and Enhancement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.01247/) (2023)
- [Neighbor2Neighbor: Self-Supervised Denoising from Single Noisy Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.02824/) (2021)
- [High-Quality Self-Supervised Deep Image Denoising](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.10277/) (2019)
- [Noise2Score: Tweedie's Approach to Self-Supervised Image Denoising without Clean Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.07009/) (2021)
- [Ambient Diffusion: Learning Clean Distributions from Corrupted Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.19256/) (2023)
- [AP-BSN: Self-Supervised Denoising for Real-World Images via Asymmetric PD and Blind-Spot Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.11799/) (2022)
- [Blind2Unblind: Self-Supervised Image Denoising with Visible Blind Spots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.06967/) (2022)
- [DDM2: Self-Supervised Diffusion MRI Denoising with Generative Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.03018/) (2023)
- [Unsupervised Learning with Stein's Unbiased Risk Estimator](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.10531/) (2018)
- [LG-BPN: Local and Global Blind-Patch Network for Self-Supervised Real-World Denoising](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.00534/) (2023)
- [IDR: Self-Supervised Image Denoising via Iterative Data Refinement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.14358/) (2021)
- [Spatially Adaptive Self-Supervised Learning for Real-World Image Denoising](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.14934/) (2023)
- [Ambient Diffusion Posterior Sampling: Solving Inverse Problems with Diffusion Models Trained on Corrupted Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.08728/) (2024)
- [MM-BSN: Self-Supervised Image Denoising for Real-World with Multi-Mask based on Blind-Spot Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.01598/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Tooth-Diffusion: Guided 3D CBCT Synthesis with Fine-Grained Tooth Conditioning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.14276/) (2025)
- [CARE: Training-Free Controllable Restoration for Medical Images via Dual-Latent Steering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.25026/) (2026)
- [NGPS: Structure-Preserving Self-Supervised Denoising via Neighbor-Guided Patch Sampling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.23200/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Many self-supervised denoising approaches have been proposed in recent years. However, these methods tend to overly smooth images, resulting in the loss of fine structures that are essential for medical applications. In this paper, we propose DiffDenoise, a powerful self-supervised denoising approach tailored for medical images, designed to preserve high-frequency details. Our approach comprises three stages. First, we train a diffusion model on noisy images, using the outputs of a pretrained Blind-Spot Network as conditioning inputs. Next, we introduce a novel stabilized reverse sampling technique, which generates clean images by averaging diffusion sampling outputs initialized with a pair of symmetric noises. Finally, we train a supervised denoising network using noisy images paired with the denoised outputs generated by the diffusion model. Our results demonstrate that DiffDenoise outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods in both synthetic and real-world medical image denoising tasks. We provide both a theoretical foundation and practical insights, demonstrating the method's effectiveness across various medical imaging modalities and anatomical structures.