def compute_bytes_per_voxel(element_type):
    """Returns number of bytes required to store one voxel for the given
    metaIO ElementType """
    switcher = {'MET_CHAR': 1, 'MET_UCHAR': 1, 'MET_SHORT': 2, 'MET_USHORT':
        2, 'MET_INT': 4, 'MET_UINT': 4, 'MET_LONG': 4, 'MET_ULONG': 4,
        'MET_LONG_LONG': 8, 'MET_ULONG_LONG': 8, 'MET_FLOAT': 4,
        'MET_DOUBLE': 8}
    return switcher.get(element_type, 2)
