diff --git a/extensions/chaeo/accessors.py b/extensions/chaeo/accessors.py
index 5d2987faabe5d341b9c23193d0ce32b2f4fa56d0..2b23318beda15924ee613a23f74d03a6a0f0c806 100644
--- a/extensions/chaeo/accessors.py
+++ b/extensions/chaeo/accessors.py
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ class MonoPatchStack(InMemoryDataAccessor):
     def iat(self, i):
         return self.data[:, :, 0, i]
 
+    def iat_yxcz(self, i):
+        return np.expand_dims(self.iat(i), (2, 3))
+
     def get_list(self):
         n = self.nz
         return [self.data[:, :, 0, zi] for zi in range(0, n)]
diff --git a/extensions/chaeo/tests/test_accessors.py b/extensions/chaeo/tests/test_accessors.py
index 4019257566e3b731e25595d6ef5b59f010b746e1..c74fdd86ca19c90ab7ed5fb602fa50220eac314f 100644
--- a/extensions/chaeo/tests/test_accessors.py
+++ b/extensions/chaeo/tests/test_accessors.py
@@ -43,4 +43,11 @@ class TestCziImageFileAccess(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_raises_filenotfound(self):
         from extensions.chaeo.accessors import FileNotFoundError
         with self.assertRaises(FileNotFoundError):
-            acc = MonoPatchStackFromFile('c:/fake/file/name.tif')
\ No newline at end of file
+            acc = MonoPatchStackFromFile('c:/fake/file/name.tif')
+
+    def test_patch_as_yxcz_array(self):
+        w = 256
+        h = 512
+        n = 4
+        acc = MonoPatchStack([np.random.rand(h, w) for _ in range(0, 4)])
+        self.assertEqual(acc.iat_yxcz(0).shape, (h, w, 1, 1))
\ No newline at end of file