U.S. patent application number 14/474251 was filed with the patent office on 2014-12-18 for method and apparatus for displaying non-standard-compliant images.
The applicant listed for this patent is Codonics, Inc.. Invention is credited to Peter Botten, Glenn Burke, Gary Keefe, Lawrence Srnka.
Application Number | 20140372418 14/474251 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46456050 |
Filed Date | 2014-12-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140372418 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Burke; Glenn ; et
al. |
December 18, 2014 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING NON-STANDARD-COMPLIANT
IMAGES
Abstract
Provided is a method of converting a medical image used in a
network at a patient care facility, the network including an
enterprise network storage solution optionally dedicated for
storing medical images in a standardized medical imaging format
that are to be retrieved over the network. The method includes us a
computer system to search a portable computer-readable medium for
an indication that the medical image is stored in a proprietary
format on the portable computer-readable medium. The proprietary
format of the medical image is identified, using the computer
system, based on the indication. The medical image is converted
into a format that is compliant with a standardized medical-imaging
format, transmitted in the standardized medical-imaging format to
be: (i) subsequently displayed by a display device without
requiring prior storage of the medical image in an enterprise
storage solution for medical images, and/or (ii) stored in the
enterprise storage solution.
Inventors: |
Burke; Glenn; (Cleveland,
OH) ; Keefe; Gary; (Brecksville, OH) ; Srnka;
Lawrence; (Northfield Center, OH) ; Botten;
Peter; (Lakewood, OH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Codonics, Inc. |
Middleburg Heights |
OH |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
46456050 |
Appl. No.: |
14/474251 |
Filed: |
September 1, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13270156 |
Oct 10, 2011 |
8825680 |
|
|
14474251 |
|
|
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|
61391632 |
Oct 9, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
707/722 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G16H 30/40 20180101;
G16H 30/20 20180101; G06F 16/583 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/722 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30; G06F 19/00 20060101 G06F019/00 |
Claims
1. A method of converting a medical image used in a network at a
patient care facility, the network comprising an enterprise network
storage solution where medical images stored in a standardized
medical imaging format are to be retrieved over the network, the
method comprising: with a computer system, searching a portable
computer-readable medium for an indication that the medical image
is stored in a proprietary format on a portable computer-readable
medium; identifying, with the computer system, the proprietary
format of the medical image based on the indication; converting the
medical image into a format that is compliant with a standardized
medical-imaging format; and transmitting the medical image in the
format that is compliant with the standardized medical-imaging
format to be: (i) subsequently displayed by a display device
without requiring prior storage of the medical image in an
enterprise storage solution for medical images, and/or (ii) stored
in the enterprise storage solution.
2. The method of converting the medical image of claim 1, wherein
the standardized medical image format is a DICOM-compliant format
in which the medical image is standardized for transmission between
patient care facilities.
3. The method of converting the medical image of claim 1, wherein
said searching the portable computer-readable medium comprises
evaluating at least one of a file name and a file extension for one
or more characters indicative of the proprietary format.
4. The method of converting the medical image of claim 3, wherein
said evaluating comprises conducting a search of the at least one
of the file name and the file extension for a predetermined string
of characters known to be included in the at least one of the file
name and the file extension by an entity supporting use of the
medical image in the proprietary format.
5. The method of converting the medical image of claim 4, wherein
said search comprises: generating a search string to be used to
conduct the search by assembling the predetermined string of
characters with at least one wildcard character; and comparing the
search string with the at least one of the file name and the file
extension.
6. The method of converting the medical image of claim 1, wherein
said searching the portable computer-readable medium comprises
evaluating content of the medical image to determine whether the
content comprises data indicative of the proprietary format.
7. The method of converting the medical image of claim 6, wherein
said evaluating said content comprises searching for a
predetermined string of characters within a known location of the
content where the predetermined string of characters is expected to
be located if the medical image is in the proprietary format.
8. The method of converting the medical image of claim 1, wherein
the medical image export utility is a computer program that is
operable to decode the proprietary medical image format.
9. The method of converting the medical image of claim 1, wherein
the enterprise storage solution for medical images comprises a
picture archiving and communication system ("PACS") that stores
medical images in a standardized DICOM format.
10. The method of converting the medical image of claim 1, wherein
said converting the medical image comprises: in response to said
identifying, exporting, with a medical image export utility
executing on the computer system, the medical image from the
portable computer-readable medium into a non-proprietary format;
storing, at least temporarily, the medical image in the
non-proprietary format in a computer-accessible memory operatively
connected to the computer system; and converting the medical image
in the non-proprietary format to the format that is compliant with
the standardized medical-imaging format.
11. The method of converting the medical image of claim 10, wherein
the medical image export utility is included as a portion of a
proprietary medical image viewer that is operable to display the
medical image in the proprietary format.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/391,632, filed Oct. 9, 2010, which is
incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This application relates generally to viewing medical images
and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for locally
retrieving a medical image stored in a proprietary format and
converting that medical image into an image that is compliant with
a medical imaging standard.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] During a surgical or other medical procedure the treating
physician will often wish to review medical images taken of the
patient. For instance, a physician may wish to view an x-ray or
ultrasound of the patient on a video monitor hanging in the
operating room while performing a surgical procedure. The x-ray or
ultrasound images may show the medical condition of the patient
being addressed during the surgical procedure, may show neighboring
organs that the physician must avoid during the surgical procedure,
or any other medical images of interest to a physician conducting a
surgical procedure. However, in some cases the medical images the
physician may wish to view are stored in a proprietary format on a
CD, DVD, portable USB drive, or other portable computer-readable
medium.
[0006] Conventionally, to view medical images stored on a portable
computer-readable medium in an operating room, the CD or other
medium is taken to a radiology workstation at a remote location
from the operating room. The CD is loaded into the radiology
workstation and the proprietary medical images are viewed from the
CD using a proprietary viewer and exported in a standard medical
image format. In order for the medical images to be preserved with
the highest possible quality, and to facilitate standardized
storage of medical images, the medical images are stored to a
picture archiving and communication system ("PACS") in a Digital
Imaging and Communications in Medicine ("DICOM") format. Once the
medical images are stored in the PACS, they can be retrieved over a
local network from the PACS to be displayed on the video monitor in
the operating room.
[0007] However, if there are several medical images stored on the
CD, a significant amount of time is required for the user of the
radiology workstation to individually select each medical image
from the CD, export them into the DICOM format, and then store
those converted medical images in the PACS. Such a method of
exporting the medical images using a specially-programmed
workstation at a remote location before being able to view the
medical images in the operating room is complex and time consuming.
And due to the many different proprietary viewers required for
viewing and exporting proprietary medical images stored on the CD,
the user of the radiology workstation is required to have at least
a minimal amount of familiarity with each.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0008] Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method and
apparatus for locally converting medical images from a proprietary
format into a format allowing local viewing of the medical images
without requiring the medical images to first be stored in a PACS.
The converted medical images are to be of sufficient quality for
use in a medical application, and can optionally be compliant with
a medical imaging standard.
[0009] According to one aspect, the subject application involves a
method of converting a medical image used in a network at a patient
care facility, the network including an enterprise network storage
solution optionally dedicated for storing medical images in a
standardized medical imaging format that are to be retrieved over
the network. The method includes us a computer system to search a
portable computer-readable medium for an indication that the
medical image is stored in a proprietary format on the portable
computer-readable medium. The proprietary format of the medical
image is identified, using the computer system, based on the
indication. The medical image is converted into a format that is
compliant with a standardized medical-imaging format, transmitted
in the standardized medical-imaging format to be: (i) subsequently
displayed by a display device without requiring prior storage of
the medical image in an enterprise storage solution for medical
images, and/or (ii) stored in the enterprise storage solution.
[0010] According to another aspect, converting the medical image
includes exporting, with a medical image export utility executing
on the computer system, the medical image from the portable
computer-readable medium into a non-proprietary format in response
to identifying the proprietary format of the medical image. The
medical image is stored, at least temporarily, in the
non-proprietary format in a computer-accessible memory operatively
connected to the computer system. The method also includes
converting the medical image in the non-proprietary format to the
format that is compliant with the standardized medical-imaging
format.
[0011] According to another aspect, the subject application
involves a computer terminal that is locally connected to a display
device to display a medical image on the display device. The
computer terminal includes a non-transitory computer readable
memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when
executed, cause the computer to perform a method. The method
includes initiating a search of a portable computer-readable medium
provided to the computer terminal for an indication of a
proprietary format of the medical image. In response to detecting
the proprietary format of the medical image, a medical image export
utility stored on the portable computer-readable medium is executed
and, using the medical image export utility, the medical image is
stored in a non-proprietary format on a computer memory that is
accessible to the local computer. The medical image is converted
from the non-proprietary format to a DICOM-compliant format on the
computer memory, and then displayed in the DICOM-compliant format
with a display device without requiring prior storage of the
medical image in a PACS storage server.
[0012] According to another aspect, the subject application
involves a patient care facility where a patient is to receive
medical attention. The patient care facility includes at least one
medical modality for capturing a medical image associated with the
patient, a display device for viewing the medical image, and a
computer terminal in communication with the display device to
display a medical image on the display device. The computer
terminal includes a non-transitory computer readable memory storing
computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the
computer terminal to perform a method. The method includes
initiating a search of a portable computer-readable medium in local
communication with the computer terminal for an indication of a
proprietary format of the medical image. In response to detecting
the proprietary format of the medical image, a medical image export
utility stored on the portable computer-readable medium is executed
for exporting the medical image in the proprietary format from the
portable computer-readable medium to be saved in a computer memory
accessible to the computer terminal. Using the medical image export
utility, the medical image is stored in a non-proprietary format on
the computer memory. The medical image is converted from the
non-proprietary format to a format that is compliant with a medical
imaging standard, and displayed by a display device without
requiring prior storage of the medical image in an enterprise
storage solution for medical images.
[0013] According to another aspect, the subject application
involves a method of converting a medical image to be displayed.
The method includes initiating a search of a portable
computer-readable medium for an indication of a format of the
medical image. The method also includes establishing that the
medical image is stored on the portable computer-readable medium in
a non-proprietary format. The medical image is converted from the
non-proprietary format to a format that is compliant with a medical
imaging standard, and displaying with a display device without
requiring prior storage of the medical image in an enterprise
storage solution for medical images.
[0014] The above summary presents a simplified summary in order to
provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or
methods discussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview
of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended
to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such
systems and/or methods. Its sole purpose is to present some
concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed
description that is presented later.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The invention may take physical form in certain parts and
arrangement of parts, embodiments of which will be described in
detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of a healthcare
facility including a local viewing station for locally converting
and displaying medical images;
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram schematically depicting an
embodiment of a method of locally converting a medical image to be
displayed from a proprietary format to a format that is compliant
with a medical imaging standard;
[0018] FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram schematically depicting an
embodiment of a method of displaying a medical image using a
medical image presentation utility selected from a plurality of
available options;
[0019] FIG. 4A shows a portion of a flow diagram illustrating an
alternate embodiment of presenting a medical image delivered on a
portable computer readable medium;
[0020] FIG. 4B shows another portion of the flow diagram used to
describe a method of presenting a medical image delivered on a
portable computer readable medium; and
[0021] FIG. 4C shows another portion of the flow diagram used to
describe a method of presenting a medical image delivered on a
portable computer readable medium.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and
is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention.
Relative language used herein is best understood with reference to
the drawings, in which like numerals are used to identify like or
similar items. Further, in the drawings, certain features may be
shown in somewhat schematic form.
[0023] It is also to be noted that the phrase "at least one of", if
used herein, followed by a plurality of members herein means one of
the members, or a combination of more than one of the members. For
example, the phrase "at least one of a first widget and a second
widget" means in the present application: the first widget, the
second widget, or the first widget and the second widget. Likewise,
"at least one of a first widget, a second widget and a third
widget" means in the present application: the first widget, the
second widget, the third widget, the first widget and the second
widget, the first widget and the third widget, the second widget
and the third widget, or the first widget and the second widget and
the third widget.
[0024] FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of a patient care
facility 10 including a hospital operating or examination room 26,
for example, where a patient is to receive medical attention. As
shown, the patient care facility 10 includes at least one medical
modality, shown as a magnetic resonance imaging ("MRI") device 12
in FIG. 1, that captures medical images associated with the
patient, a display device 14 for viewing the medical image, and a
computer terminal 16 in communication with the display device 14 to
cause the medical image to be displayed on the display device
14.
[0025] The modality shown in FIG. 1 is a MRI device 12, but the
modality can include any device capable of capturing information
about the patient, possibly for diagnostic purposes. Other examples
of the modality include x-ray and ultrasound machines, electronic
weight scales, EKG's and any other device used to examine a patient
during the provision of medical care that can collect electronic
data about the patient during such an examination. An endoscope 18
is also shown in the patient care facility 10 as another example of
a modality.
[0026] The display device 14 can be any video, audio, or any other
suitable presentation device for offering playback of the medical
images captured by the modality 12. Although the term "medical
image" is used to describe the content displayed by the display 14,
it is to be understood that the medical image can be any type of
data collected and recorded by the MRI 12, the endoscope 18, or any
other type of modality and relating to a patient. Thus, the medical
image encompasses not only visible pictorial images such as x-rays,
but also encompasses audio tracks such as that recorded during an
ultrasound, for example. Accordingly, the display 14 can be an
audio playback device, video playback device, waveform playback
device, or a combination thereof. However, for the sake of brevity,
the embodiments will be described below as displaying a visible
medical image.
[0027] The embodiment of the patient care facility 10 shown in FIG.
1 also includes an enterprise storage solution for storing the
medical images electronically. The enterprise storage solution can
be a server connected to other terminals via a local area network
("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN") such as the Internet, or a
combination thereof. For the specific example described below, the
enterprise network storage solution is a picture archiving and
communication systems ("PACS") server 20, that stores medical
images in an electronic format that is compliant with a medical
imaging standard such as the Digital Imaging and Communications in
Medicine ("DICOM") standard, although any other medical image
standard is also within the scope of the present technology. The
PACs server 20 offers a centralized and network-connected storage
location where the medical files can be stored and retrieved by
different authorized users over the network 22.
[0028] A radiology workstation 24 can also optionally be provided
to the patient care facility 10. The radiology workstation 24 can
be programmed with proprietary medical viewers that are operable to
present the medical images in their proprietary format to the user.
Further, the radiology workstation has the required authorization
to store medical images in the PACS server 20. Analogous to the
description of medical images above, the phrase "medical image
viewer" is used generally herein to refer to any
computer-executable instructions that, when executed, can play back
or otherwise display or present the medical images to an observer.
For medical images that are audio tracks, the medical image viewer
can play the audio tracks to audibly present them to a listener.
Similarly, for medical images that are visible images such as an
x-ray, the medical image viewer can visibly display the image using
a computer monitor, projector, the display 14, and so on.
[0029] The computer terminal 16 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the
network 22 via a communication channel 28 such as an Ethernet
cable, wireless signal, or the like. The computer terminal 16 can
be locally connected to the display 14, such as by a LAN embodiment
of the network 22, optionally directly connected such as by a HDMI
cable or other direct communication channel 30 extending between
the computer terminal 16 and the display 14, or a combination
thereof. The computer terminal 16 can optionally be disposed within
the operating or examination room 26, or an adjacent or nearby room
where it is out of the so-called sterile field of the operating
room. Medical images can be stored, at least temporarily, in a
non-transitory memory, such as a hard disk drive for example,
integrated within, or otherwise accessible to the computer terminal
16. Medical images can optionally be stored on a portable
computer-readable medium such as a CD, USB flash drive, etc. . . .
, in communication with the computer terminal 16. Such medical
images accessible to the computer terminal 16 can be presented to
an observer via the display 14 without requiring the medical images
to first be stored on the PACS server 20 according to the method
described in detail below.
[0030] The method described herein can optionally be performed by a
computer terminal executing computer executable instructions stored
in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. To describe this
method, the example of a surgeon wishing to display a medical image
on a CD using the display 14 during a surgical procedure will be
used once again. With reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 2, the
surgeon or other party in possession of a CD storing the medical
image to be displayed can introduce the CD to a CD-ROM drive 32
(FIG. 1) of the computer terminal 16. An autorun function of the
computer terminal 16 or an instruction from the user can result in
the initiation, at step 100 of FIG. 2, of a search of the
locally-delivered CD for an indicator that would allow for a
determination of the format of the medical image to be
displayed.
[0031] The indicator can be any information that would allow for at
least an assumption, and optionally an affirmative decision, to be
made about the format of the medical image, and accordingly,
whether the medical image is in a proprietary format. For example,
the indicator could be a file extension appended to the end of the
filename for the medical image. The file extension .pdf, for
example, would indicate that the medical image is an Acrobat file.
According to other embodiments, the indicator can be the filename
itself, or at least a portion thereof. According to such
embodiments, the computer terminal 16 under the control of the
computer-executable instructions, may conduct the search for a
commonly-found term in the filename, optionally using wildcard
placeholders as well. For example, Koninklijke Philips Electronics
N.V. formats medical images in accordance with their iSite format.
The computer terminal 16 may conduct the search of the CD for files
including the term "isite" using the search string "*isite*.???",
for example, where each "*" and "?" represent wildcard characters
with "*" representing zero to many characters and "?" representing
one character. If such an entry is found, it can be assumed, and
optionally determined, that the CD stores a version of the
proprietary viewer for viewing iSite-compatible medical images, and
that at least some of the medical images are in such format . The
computer terminal 16 can conduct multiple such searches based on a
set of predetermined rules looking for specific indicators
associated with a plurality of different vendors. The proprietary
format can be any format developed by or on behalf of a specific
corporate or commercial entity owning proprietary rights in
software and/or hardware for capturing, storing, converting,
retrieving, displaying, or any combination thereof, medical images.
The proprietary rights include the right to limit others' use of
the software and/or hardware for accessing such medical images in
the proprietary format.
[0032] Yet other embodiments can search for an indicator that
includes particular data, or a pattern of data in a file stored on
the portable computer readable medium. For example, an image file
in a particular proprietary format may always include the text
string "ABC" in the first 16 characters of the file. A lookup table
or other relationship can be referenced by the computer terminal 16
to establish that image files including "ABC" in the first 16
characters are formatted in a specific proprietary format.
Searching can progress through a series of checks in any desired
order in an attempt to find proprietary-format, and optionally
other formats of medical images.
[0033] In response to finding an indicator of the type of medical
image file format, the corresponding proprietary viewer required to
view such medical images can be executed at step 110. For example,
the computer terminal 16 can accomplish this by opening the file on
the CD including the search term "iSite" found during a search and
having the executable file extension ".exe" or "bat" or other
extension indicating an executable file. Alternately, the computer
terminal 16 can use a lookup table to identify the executable file
for viewers compatible with the corresponding medical image format.
Any suitable relationship between the executable file and the
search time or medical image format identified can be used.
Regardless of how it is identified, the executable file is operable
to launch the proprietary viewer for viewing iSite-compatible
medical images. Further, proprietary view can be executable from
the CD or other portable medium, from a local memory of the
terminal 16 such a hard disk drive, from a network-connected
memory, or any other computer-accessible memory in communication
with the terminal 16.
[0034] Many proprietary viewers stored on the portable
computer-readable medium also include an export utility, which can
be manually executed by users. According to an embodiment of the
invention, the medical image export utility can be instructed,
optionally without user intervention, by the computer terminal 16
to execute the export function for automatically decoding and
saving the medical image locally, without user intervention,
following selection of the medical image to be viewed. In other
words, once the user selects a medical image, terminal 16 can
execute the viewer, or at least the export function, to export the
medical image. Exporting the medical image via the export utility
allows the medical image in the proprietary format on the CD to be
decoded and saved locally, such as on the hard disk of the computer
terminal 16, for example, in a non-proprietary format. Examples of
such a non-proprietary format include, but are not limited to JPEG,
BMP, PNG, GIF, TIFF and DICOM formats. Medical images formatted as
such can be observed using commonly available image viewers
including some medical image viewers readily-available from several
different vendors. The computer terminal 16 can select and activate
the export utility at step 120, optionally in the background using
a virtual monitor, and/or automatically, without user intervention
following selection of the medical images to be observed.
Activation of the export utility in the background results in
exportation of the out of view of a user, and treating the medical
image appear to be originally stored in the non-proprietary
format.
[0035] If, however, at step 110 it is established that the medical
image is stored on the portable computer-readable medium in a
non-proprietary format other than DICOM, the medical image can
optionally be saved on a computer memory such as on the hard disk
of the computer terminal 16, for example, or other
network-connected memory. According to such an embodiment, the
medical image is converted from the non-proprietary format to a
format that is compliant with a medical imaging standard, such as
the DICOM medical-image standard for example, on the computer
memory. The DICOM converted medical image is then transmitted to
the display 14 to be displayed without requiring prior storage of
the medical image in an enterprise storage solution for medical
images such as the PACS server 20.
[0036] At step 130, the medical image is exported from the CD and
stored, using the medical image export utility, in a
non-proprietary format on the hard disk drive of the computer
terminal 16 or other computer memory accessible to the computer
terminal 16. Once stored in the non-proprietary format, the medical
image can be converted, if required, from the non-proprietary
format into the DICOM format or another format that is compliant
with a medical imaging standard that has been adopted as a medical
imaging standard to facilitate standardized transmission of medical
images between patient care facilities at step 140 using any
desired converter. The medical image in the DICOM or other medical
imaging standard format is transmitted by the terminal 26 to be
displayed using the display 14 at step 150. In this manner, the
medical image can be converted and displayed via the display 14
locally relative to the terminal 16, and without requiring prior
storage of the medical image in the PACS server 20. According to
alternate embodiments, the medical image can be transmitted over
the LAN and/or WAN to be displayed by the display 14 without being
stored in the PACS server 20.
[0037] An alternate embodiment of a method of presenting one or
more medical images on a portable computer readable medium such as
a CD is described with reference to FIG. 3. Use of the specific
example of displaying an image stored on a CD is continued for
describing the present embodiments. As shown at step 300, the
computer terminal 16 under the control of computer executable
instructions can initiate a search for an image stored in a
standardized medical image format for the communication of medical
images, such as the DICOM standard for example, stored on the CD.
In response to a determination at step 310 that an image in the
standardized medical image format is present on the CD, the
computer terminal 16 launchers a viewer that is compatible with the
standard medical imaging format at step 320. The standard medical
image format-compatible viewer is executable by the computer
terminal 16 even without the CD being present. As such, the
standard medical image format-compatible viewer is stored locally
by the computer terminal 16 or is otherwise accessible to the
computer terminal 16 via the network 22 or source other than the
CD. Using the standard medical image format-compatible viewer, the
computer terminal 16 causes the medical image to be displayed via
the display 14 at step 330. The displayed medical image can be
displayed from the CD, from the computer terminal 16, or from any
other computer-accessible memory, without being first stored in the
PACS server 20.
[0038] If, however, it is determined at step 310 that a medical
image in the standard medical image format is not present on the CD
but a medical image in a proprietary format is, a viewer utility,
which can be a proprietary viewer supplied by the manufacturer of
the equipment used to create the CD, or manufacturer or source of a
modality, for example, can be launched from the CD at step 340.
Using the supplied viewer, the medical image formatted in a format
other than the standard medical image format can be displayed via
the display 14 in the format in which it was stored on the CD at
step 350, and without first being converted to the standard medical
image format and without previously being stored in the PACS server
20.
[0039] Yet another embodiment of the method of presenting a medical
image can be understood with reference to FIGS. 4A-4C. Similar to
the previous embodiment, a search for one or more medical images in
a standard medical image format is initiated at step 400 in FIG.
4A. If it is determined at step 410 that a medical image in the
standard medical image format is present on the CD, a viewer
compatible with that standard medical image format is launched at
step 420, and the medical image in the standard medical image
format displayed at step 430.
[0040] Just as before, the viewer compatible with the standard
medical image format can be an image viewer or other medical image
presentation utility stored on, or otherwise executable by the
computer terminal 16 without requiring the CD. Accordingly, the
standard medical image format viewer local to the computer terminal
16 can be utilized to view all medical images in the standard
medical image format rather than another, optionally proprietary
medical image viewer present on the CD with which the user may not
be familiar.
[0041] If, however, at step 410 a medical image in the standard
medical image formatted is not detected, or if the desired image is
not found or selected, or if a proprietary image is found in
addition to the standardized image, the search is expanded to
return medical images in a proprietary medical image format at step
440. The proprietary medical image format may be a format adopted
by a manufacturer of computer equipment used to create the CD with
the medical images, for example. If an image in the proprietary
medical image format is detected at step 450, automatic conversion
of all such discovered images into a standard medical image format
can be initiated at step 460. This conversion can be accomplished
by a conversion utility that is on the computer terminal's hard
drive, or other computer memory that is accessible to the computer
terminal 16 other than the CD. According to alternative
embodiments, the conversion utility can be included on the CD,
optionally forming part of an export utility or viewer utility
stored on the CD.
[0042] The conversion of medical images can be automatic.
Conversion of all of the medical images into the standard medical
image format is said to be automatic in that user intervention is
not required once the conversion process is initiated. Initiation
can occur automatically upon detection of a proprietary or other
image, or upon selection of a proprietary medical image, for
example. Rather than being required to initiate conversion of each
medical image on the CD manually, the conversion process can
optionally automatically progress to subsequent medical images
without user intervention. Thus, a 300 slice CT scan, for example,
requiring the user to manually initiate conversion of the image
representing each slice would be time consuming. In contrast, the
automatic conversion of all images on the CD drastically reduces
the time required to complete the conversion process. Alternately,
users can select a plurality of images to be converted and/or
viewed & conversion of the selected images can progress
automatically upon initiation of the conversion process.
[0043] At step 470 it is determined whether the conversion of the
medical images into the standard medical image format was
successfully completed. If so, at step 480, the standard medical
image format compatible viewer is launched by the computer terminal
16. Just as before, the standard medical image format-compatible
viewer launched at step 480 is a local viewer rather than a
similarly-compatible viewer stored on the CD to give the user the
ability to use a familiar user interface.
[0044] If conversion of the medical images into the standard
medical image format is unsuccessful or otherwise incomplete as
determined at step 470, a viewer compatible with the proprietary
medical image standard stored on the CD is launched at step 490.
This viewer is used to display or otherwise present one or more of
the medical images in the proprietary medical image format via the
display 14 at step 500.
[0045] If there are no medical images in the standard medical image
format or proprietary medical image format on the CD, the search is
again expanded at step 510 to encompass any medical images in a
format other than those traditionally used for medical images.
Examples of such formats include JPEG and BMP formatted images. If
at step 520 it is again determined that no such images are present
on the CD, the method is terminated. However, if it is determined
at step 520 that such images are present, automatic conversion of
selected, and optionally all of such medical images into the
standard medical image format is initiated at step 530 in FIG. 4C.
Just as for the conversion of all medical images in the proprietary
medical image format, automatic conversion of all such images does
not require user intervention to initiate conversion of each
individual medical image once the conversion process has been
initiated. Following conversion of the medical images into the
standard medical image format, the locally available standard
medical image format compatible viewer is used to display or
otherwise present the converted medical images via the display 14
at step 540.
[0046] By converting the medical images on the CD from various
original formats into the standard medical image format, the user
of the computer terminal 16 can control the display or other
presentation of the medical images using a common standard medical
image format viewer, regardless of the format of the medical images
on the CD.
[0047] For each of the embodiments described herein, the medical
images to be displayed or otherwise presented via the display 14
can be stored, at least temporarily, locally relative to the
computer terminal 16, and displayed from this local storage
location. For example, the medical images to be displayed can be
copied, moved or otherwise exported to the hard disk drive of the
computer terminal 16, from where the medical images can be
transmitted to be displayed or otherwise presented via the display
14. This can optionally apply to any of the medical images to be
displayed or otherwise presented via the display 14. The medical
images in the proprietary format, standard medical image format,
and formats other than traditional formats for medical images.
[0048] Illustrative embodiments have been described, hereinabove.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above
devices and methods may incorporate changes and modifications
without departing from the general scope of this invention. It is
intended to include all such modifications and alterations within
the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, to the extent that
the term "includes" is used in either the detailed description or
the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner
similar to the term "comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted
when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
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