A computer-based reporting system in radiology of the chest

The aim of this study was to compare our computer-aided report writing system to standard techniques. A computer-aided reporting system for reporting on chest X-rays was developed and linked with a UNIX-based radiology information system. The reporting system consists of different text modules which can be composed to a complete radiological report. The quality of the report, the system's efficiency, flexibility and availability at the radiology information system (RIS), as well as its acceptance by the users, were criteria we took as a basis of evaluation. Acceptance and flexibility of the system were tested by assessing necessary changes and additions performed to text modules and by subjective evaluation. The time spent on working with the reporting system was evaluated by performing a time-analysis study comparing the new system to the two conventional methods, the tape system and handwriting. On average, the readers needed 22.6 text modules for each report. For the users the most important advantages of the new system are that primarily fewer changes to or additions to the text are necessary, and when they cannot be avoided they can be performed more easily. In comparison with the tape system and handwritten reports, it took on average two and a half to three times longer to report on a chest X-ray. The printed report had left the department within 6.4 h using the tape system within 0.4 h when handwritten and within 1.4 h when recorded by the reporting system. The completeness of the set of modules and the logical order were positively assessed by the users. The demand of time for reporting increases, but the final report is available sooner. Received 17 September 1996; Revision received 20 March 1997; Accepted 19 December 1997     

MAC3: an electronic module for the processing of pulses delivered by a three photomultiplier liquid scintillation counting system

In the field of radioactivity measurement, there is a constant need for high quality electronic modules such as ADCs, amplifiers, high voltage generators, dead-time modules, etc. and sometime there is a need for a specialized module not available on the market. The purpose of the module presented here, called MAC3 (module d'acquisition de coı̈ncidences triples), is to process the pulses delivered by the three detectors (photomultipliers) used in our liquid scintillation counting system. The dead-time generated by this module is of the extendible type and the dead-time corrections are made according to the live-time method. This module, which has been developed and tested at LPRI, can replace the complex interconnection of several independent and costly modules. The philosophy governing the choice and the implementation of this type of dead-time as well as the system used for the dead-time corrections is presented. The electronic scheme and the performances are also presented. This module is available in the NIM standard.     

A radionuclide therapy treatment planning and dose estimation system.

An object-oriented software system is described for estimating internal emitter absorbed doses using a set of computer modules operating within a personal computer environment. The system is called the Radionuclide Treatment Planning and Absorbed Dose Estimation System (RTDS). It is intended for radioimmunotherapy applications, although other forms of internal emitter therapy may also be considered. METHODS: Four software modules interact through a database backend. Clinical, demographic and image data are directly entered into the database. Modules include those devoted to clinical imaging (nuclear, CT and MR), activity determination, organ compartmental modeling and absorbed dose estimation. RESULTS: Both standard phantom (Medical Internal Radiation Dose [MIRD]) and patient-specific absorbed doses are estimated. All modules interact with the database backend so that changes in one process do not influence other operations. Results of the modular operations are written to the database as computations are completed. Dose-volume histograms are an intrinsic part of the output for patient-specific absorbed dose estimates. A sample dose estimate for a potential 90Y monoclonal antibody is described. CONCLUSION: A four-module software system has been implemented to estimate MIRD phantom and patient-specific absorbed doses. Computations of the doses and their statistical distribution for a pure beta emitter such as 90Y take approximately 1 min on a 300 MHz personal computer.     

Teleradiology as a foundation for an enterprise-wide health care delivery system.

An effective, integrated telemedicine system has been developed that allows (a) teleconsultation between local primary health care providers (primary care physicians and general radiologists) and remote imaging subspecialists and (b) active patient participation related to his or her medical condition and patient education. The initial stage of system development was a traditional teleradiology consultation service between general radiologists and specialists; this established system was expanded to include primary care physicians and patients. The system was developed by using a well-defined process model, resulting in three integrated modules: a patient module, a primary health care provider module, and a specialist module. A middle agent layer enables tailoring and customization of the modules for each specific user type. Implementation by using Java and the Common Object Request Broker Architecture standard facilitates platform independence and interoperability. The system supports (a) teleconsultation between a local primary health care provider and an imaging subspecialist regardless of geographic location and (b) patient education and online scheduling. The developed system can potentially form a foundation for an enterprise-wide health care delivery system. In such a system, the role of radiologist specialists is enhanced from that of a diagnostician to the management of a patient's process of care.     

Computer system for four-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic image reconstruction.

This paper presents a system for reconstructing a four-dimensional (4D) heart-beating image from transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) data acquired with a rotational approach. The system consists of the necessary processing modules for two-dimensional (2D) echocardiogram reformation and 3D/4D-image reconstruction. These include the modules of image decoding, image re-coordinating, and three-dimensional (3D) volume rendering. The system is implemented under PC platform with Windows 95 operating system (with Intel Pentium-166 CPU, 64 MB RAM on board, and 2.0 GB hard disk capacity). It takes 6 min to reconstruct a 4D echocardiographic data set. The resultant 2D/3D/4D echocardiographic image provide the tools for investigating the phenomenon of heart beating, exploring the heart structure, and reformatting the 2D echocardiograms in an arbitrary plane. The functions provided by the system can be applied for further studies, such as 3D cardiac shape analysis, cardiac function measurement, and so forth.     

A computer-assisted radiologic reporting system

The patient registration and interpretation/reporting modules of a computer-assisted radiologic reporting system are described. Entries may be made at several levels of complexity, using bar codes or keyboard input. Several functions allow convenient access to the database. Output may be reformatted without programmer intervention via a maintenance file. The system allowed improved turnaround time, reduced costs, and better understanding of work patterns.     

The Vienna SMZO-PACS-project: the totally digital hospital.

This paper gives an overview of the SMZO-PACS-Project in the form of a rough specification of the system architecture and the functional parameters related to it. The PACS architecture, determined by the large amount of data volume produced in the SMZO Hospital is outlined. In both radiology and trauma departments high technical requirements concerning data throughout and fault tolerance are demanded. Therefore these PACS modules are designed to minimize the workload of the network so that the performance is not degraded in the case of fault of a single component. A PACS module includes image acquisition devices of a certain modality with related reporting workstations and a distributed electronic archive. The functionality of the modules is described, special interest is posed on the integration of the different information management systems PACS, RIS and HIS, to achieve a complete record of data input and throughput in the hospital.     

富含GC DNA PCR扩增条件的优化

目的 :探索富含GCDNA的PCR扩增条件 ,为大环内酯类化合物组合生物合成中模块和酶域的任意组合奠定基础。方法 :在PCR扩增体系中 ,添加甲酰胺、甘油、二甲亚砜 (DMSO)、Mg2 等增强剂 ,并选择合适的扩增体系 ,优化富含GCDNAPCR扩增条件。结果 :甲酰胺对富含GCDNAPCR扩增没有影响 ,而甘油和DMSO均可提高富含GCDNAPCR产物的特异性和产率 ,以 5 %～ 10 %DMSO效果最好。使用Roche长片段DNA扩增系统 ,在使用缓冲液 2反应体系中添加 10 %DMSO和提高 0 .2 5mmol LMg2 浓度时 ,可以扩增长度为 5kb、GC含量为 73%的DNA片段。结论 :应用优化的PCR扩增条件 ,可以扩增长达 5kb富含GC的DNA片段 ,可以满足大环内酯类组合生物合成模块和酶域随意组合的需求     

医院在线招聘管理系统的开发与应用

目的 分析医院人才招聘管理模式需求,设计开发基于web的医院在线招聘管理系统。方法 采用B/S模式设计,利用.NET框架,通过界面和业务逻辑分离的方式进行系统开发,并进行黑盒测试。结果 建立了符合医院在线招聘需求的招聘管理系统,包括用户信息管理、信息发布、进程查询及邮件通知等功能模块,系统运行稳定。结论 医院在线招聘管理系统减轻了管理人员的工作强度,提高了工作效率和保障能力,使招聘管理工作更加科学有序。     

放疗计划归档系统的设计与应用

目的 设计并实现放疗计划归档系统（plan data archiving system,PDAS）,提高计划归档工作的效能,防止计划丢失。方法 读取并解析计划系统（TPS）中的原始计划文件,访问记录验证（R&V）系统数据库并获取患者的治疗记录。对计划归档相关的参数进行数据处理,并以结构化数据存入本地数据库。PDAS包括两大模块：计划归档模块和计划丢失检测模块,其中前者可分为4个部分：数据整理、数据压缩、归档核对和计划恢复。分别制定相应的逻辑规则,编写程序实现各功能模块。比对人工归档的计划数据,评估PDAS临床应用效果。结果 开发并实现了PDAS各功能模块。在2年7个月的临床应用中,系统运行稳定,完成了17 614个治疗计划的归档。与人工归档相比,工作效率显著提升,放疗计划年丢失率由0.4%左右降至0。结论 PDAS可有效地提高计划归档效率,确保计划数据的安全和完整。     

Comparison of two full automatic synthesis methods of 9-(4-[F]fluoro-3-hydroxymethylbutyl)guanine using different chemistry modules

We have developed synthesis methods for 9-(4-[¹⁸F]fluoro-3-hydroxymethylbutyl)guanine ([¹⁸F]FHBG) using two commercial automatic chemistry modules, Tracerlab MX and Explora RN, and compared radiochemical yields. Synthesis conditions and sequence programs were modified for two modules because both these modules have different mechanical structures, including heater type, vacuum system, reactor, and tubing size. Synthesis using the Tracerlab MX module showed a 21.0±3.8% yield of radiochemical, which was 98±0.9% pure; the total preparation time was 63.0±5.0 min including an HPLC purification step. In contrast, synthesis using the Explora RN module showed a 32.0±1.2% yield of radiochemical, which was 99.0±0.6% pure; the total preparation time was 38±2 min, using different HPLC purification conditions and without the HPLC solvent evaporation step.     

Web modules on professionalism and ethics

Health care disciplines have always held resolutely to a commitment to professionalism and high ethical standards. With the present emphasis on public accountability, professionalism and ethics are receiving enhanced attention in health care education and practice. A challenge for radiologists, radiation oncologists, and medical physicists is to define the scope and depth of knowledge about professionalism and ethics that are necessary for the practice of the disciplines. A further challenge is to develop accessible educational materials that encompass this required knowledge. About 2 years ago, the ABR Foundation decided to address these challenges through the development of an ethics and professionalism curriculum and production of a series of Web-based educational modules that follow the curriculum. Six organizations agreed initially to contribute financially to construction of the curriculum and modules and were later joined by a seventh. The curriculum was developed by the ABR Foundation and included in a request for proposals that was widely distributed. Teams of authors for each of 10 modules were selected from respondents to the request for proposals. As the modules were developed, they were reviewed in 3 successive stages, including peer review by members of the ACR Committee on Professionalism and the RSNA-ACR Task Force on an Ethics Curriculum. After revisions were prepared in response to the reviews, the modules were translated into a format compatible with the e-learning platform on which they are mounted. The modules are now available to all who wish to study them.     

A computer-aided diagnostic system to discriminate SPIO-enhanced magnetic resonance hepatocellular carcinoma by a neural network classifier

In this paper, a computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) system for the classification of rat liver lesions from MR imaging is presented. The proposed system consists of two modules: the feature extraction and the classification modules. 40 rats are used for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) induction with Diethylnitrosamine via drinking water. After Resovist is administrated by tail vein the animals are scanned by a 1.5-T MR scanner with T2-weighted FRFSE sequence. SPIO-enhanced images of 106 nodules (RNs_: 24, HCCs: 82) are acquired, and 161 regions of interest (ROIs) are taken from the MR images .Six parameters of texture characteristics including Angular Second Moment, Contrast, Correlation, Inverse Difference Moment, Entropy, and Variance of 161 ROIs are calculated and assessed by gray-level co-occurrence matrices, then fed into a BP neural network (NN) classifier to classify the liver tissue into two classes: cirrhosis and HCC. Difference of each texture parameter between cirrhosis and HCC group is significant. The accuracy of classification of HCC nodules from cirrhosis is 91.67%. It indicates the ANN classifier based on texture is effective for classifying HCC nodules from cirrhosis on rat SPIO-enhanced imaging.     

Inclusion of Pediatric-Specific Indications and Procedures in the New ACR MRI Accreditation Program

MRI equipment with its complex instrumentation and adaptable software applications is vulnerable to technical and image quality problems, and maintaining quality assurance is essential. Accreditation of MRI centers by the ACR has become a routine practice for radiology departments and imaging centers across the country. In its prior format, the ACR MRI Accreditation Program had examination anatomic modules designed primarily to measure quality and validate MR performance primarily in adult imaging practices. In an effort to more closely meet the specific imaging requirements of pediatric patients, an ad hoc MR accreditation committee was created under the ACR Commission on Pediatric Imaging. The committee, consisting of ACR members from five children’s hospitals, was tasked with creating suggested revisions to the anatomic modules and helping develop pediatric-specific studies that could be adopted into the ACR MRI Accreditation Program. Updated ACR MRI accreditation anatomic modules incorporating the ad hoc committee’s recommendations were released by ACR in May 2017. This article highlights the recommendations made by the ad hoc committee. The revised modules should allow pediatric imaging centers to achieve ACR MRI accreditation for all anatomic modules and will underscore best imaging practices for patients of all ages.     

The WEBD project: a research of new methodologies for a distant-learning 3D system prototype

OBJECTIVES: To create and to spread a new interactive multimedia instrument, based upon virtual reality technologies, that allows both the running simulation of machines and equipment and the reproduction via Web of complex three-dimensional (3D) anatomical models such as the skull. METHODS: There were two main aspects of the project, one of design engineering and the other biomedical engineering, for the creation of "artificial" and anatomical objects. The former were made with 3D Studio Max R4 by Autodesk, San Rafael, CA, while the latter were created starting from real bones scanned with a CT system or a surface scanner and elaborated with different programs (3D Studio Max R4, Scenebuilder by Viewpoint, New York, NY and Spinfire by Actify, San Francisco, CA). The 3D models were to be integrated into web modules and had to respect file limits while preserving a sufficient definition. Two systems of evaluation were used, a questionnaire on a selected sample and an external evaluation by a different university. RESULTS: The Viewpoint format offers the best interactivity and size reduction (up to 96% from the original 3D model). The created modules included production of radiological images, rapid prototyping, and anatomy. The complete "3D Distant Learning Prototype" is available at www.webd.etsii.upm.es. CONCLUSIONS: The software currently available permits the construction of interactive modules. The verification on the selected sample and the evaluation by the University of Naples show that the structure is well organized and that the integration of the 3D models meets the requirements.     

新型冠状病毒肺炎CT方舱剂量检测与防护分析

目的 调查新型冠状病毒肺炎防控期间武汉地区方舱医院使用的CT方舱放射诊疗安全与放射防护水平。方法 现场调查CT方舱的总体布局、放射防护设施及个人防护用品,并对CT方舱放射防护水平、CT剂量指数进行检测,按照国家相关标准进行分析与评价。结果 CT方舱总体布局基本合理,设置的放射防护设施较齐全。检测23套CT方舱放射防护水平,合格20套,合格率87.0%,3套不合格CT方舱各存在1个超标检测点,经整改后均符合要求;检测7台方舱CT的体部剂量指数,加权CT剂量指数（CTDI_W）变化幅度均在±7.5%内。结论 CT方舱放射防护效果总体较好,可满足新型冠状病毒肺炎防控期间放射诊疗辐射安全与放射防护的要求。     

A simple method for the quality control of [18F]FDG

Most automated synthesis modules produce [¹⁸F]FDG within half an hour, but the quality control involving up to three separate methods and three different analytical systems is time consuming. The use of HPLC, TLC, and GC for the quality control of [¹⁸F]FDG is both time consuming and expensive (high purchase costs). Presented here is a method using a single HPLC system for all three analyses.