A computer-implemented method comprising: enhancing a contrast to noise ratio of medical image data, generating CNR enhanced medical image data, wherein the step of enhancing the CNR comprises: determining a piece-wise smoothed approximation based on the medical image data; determining a bone mask based on the medical image data; determining a contrast media map, representing changes of intensity values of medical image data due to the presence of contrast media, based on the piece-wise smoothed approximation and the bone mask, by comparing the piece-wise smoothed approximation to a reference value that represents a typical soft tissue value in the image data and wherein said bone mask is utilized to prevent a fault estimate of contrast media within bone regions; determining an enhanced contrast media map based on the contrast media map and one or more parameters; determining data complementary to the piece-wise smoothed approximation based on the medical image data and the piece-wise smoothed approximation by subtracting the piece-wise smoothed approximation from the medical image data; and determining the CNR enhanced medical image data through summing the complementary data and the enhanced contrast media map, wherein the piece-wise smoothed approximation is performed over the medical image data, and wherein the one or more parameters are user configurable parameters and include at least an enhancement multiplier parameter. enhancing a contrast to noise ratio of medical image data, generating CNR enhanced medical image data, wherein the step of enhancing the CNR comprises: determining a piece-wise smoothed approximation based on the medical image data; determining a bone mask based on the medical image data; determining a contrast media map, representing changes of intensity values of medical image data due to the presence of contrast media, based on the piece-wise smoothed approximation and the bone mask, by comparing the piece-wise smoothed approximation to a reference value that represents a typical soft tissue value in the image data and wherein said bone mask is utilized to prevent a fault estimate of contrast media within bone regions; determining an enhanced contrast media map based on the contrast media map and one or more parameters; determining data complementary to the piece-wise smoothed approximation based on the medical image data and the piece-wise smoothed approximation by subtracting the piece-wise smoothed approximation from the medical image data; and determining the CNR enhanced medical image data through summing the complementary data and the enhanced contrast media map, wherein the piece-wise smoothed approximation is performed over the medical image data, and wherein the one or more parameters are user configurable parameters and include at least an enhancement multiplier parameter. determining a piece-wise smoothed approximation based on the medical image data; determining a bone mask based on the medical image data; determining a contrast media map, representing changes of intensity values of medical image data due to the presence of contrast media, based on the piece-wise smoothed approximation and the bone mask, by comparing the piece-wise smoothed approximation to a reference value that represents a typical soft tissue value in the image data and wherein said bone mask is utilized to prevent a fault estimate of contrast media within bone regions; determining an enhanced contrast media map based on the contrast media map and one or more parameters; determining data complementary to the piece-wise smoothed approximation based on the medical image data and the piece-wise smoothed approximation by subtracting the piece-wise smoothed approximation from the medical image data; and determining the CNR enhanced medical image data through summing the complementary data and the enhanced contrast media map, wherein the piece-wise smoothed approximation is performed over the medical image data, and wherein the one or more parameters are user configurable parameters and include at least an enhancement multiplier parameter.