Medical system architecture with modalities for acquiring examination images, linked with a communication system

• US 20020091765A1
• Filed: 10/24/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Bocionek, Siegfried
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A medical system architecture has a modality for acquiring examination images, a device allocated to the modality for processing the examination images, a device for transmission of data and the examination images, a device for storing the data and examination images, and further devices for post-processing the data and examination images, and a message system, such as an e-mail server, for receiving and sending messages by e-mail is allocated to the devices for processing and post-processing the examination images.

Claims

1. A medical system architecture comprising:

a plurality of modalities for respectively acquiring examination images, said modalities participating in a medical work flow;

a plurality of processors respectively connected to said modalities for processing the examination images respectively acquired by said modalities, said processors also allowing data to be entered for association with said examination images;

a transmission device connected to said processors for transmitting said data and said examination images;

a memory connected to said transmission device for storing said data and examination images;

a post-processor connected to said transmission system for post-processing said data and examination images;

a server connected to said transmission system, said server being a client of an information system relating to said medical workflow; and

a message system incorporated in said processors and said post-processor and connected to said server for making information relating to said medical workflow available at said processors and said post-processor.

2. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 1 wherein said server is an RIS server with an e-mail system as an RIS client.

3. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 1 wherein said server is a workflow server having an e-mail system as a client.

4. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an e-mail server connected to said processors and said post-processor via said transmission system for exchanging e-mail messages.

5. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of monitors, respectively allocated to said processors and said post-processor, said processors and said post-processor causing a window to be displayed on the respective monitor allocated thereto, containing e-mail messages and related e-mail information associated with said medical workflow, in addition to displaying said examination images.

6. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 5 wherein each of said processors and said post-processor marks respective e-mails dependent on the importance of the respective e-mails, with less important e-mails being displayed only with an indicator.

7. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 6 wherein each of said processors and said post-processor has an acoustic signal generator which emits an acoustic signal upon receipt of a marked e-mail.

8. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 6 wherein each of said processors and said post-processor has an optical signal generator which generates an optical signal on the monitor associated with the processor or post-processor upon receipt of a marked e-mail.

9. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said processors and said post-processor encrypts said data.

10. A medical system architecture as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said processors and said post-processor employs a level 7 application according to the ISO-OSI layer model for communication protocols.

11. A method for controlling workflow in a medical imaging and archiving system, comprising the steps of:

acquiring examination images respectively from a plurality of examining modalities, said examining modalities participating in a medical workflow;

processing said examination images in a plurality of processors respectively connected to said imaging modalities and, in said processors, entering data and associating the entered data respectively with said examination images;

connecting said processors to a transmission system;

connecting a memory to said transmission system for storing said data and images received, via said transmission system, from said processors;

connecting a post-processor to said transmission system and post-processing said data and said examination images therein, received from said processors and said memory via said transmission system;

connecting a server to said transmission system which is a client of an information system relating to said medical workflow; and

incorporating a message system in said processors and said post-processor for making information relating to said medical workflow available at said processors and said post-processor.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising displaying said workflow information as an e-mail message respectively at said processors and said post-processor.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 comprising marking important e-mails relating to said medical workflow and generating a humanly perceptible signal when a marked e-mail is received at one of said processors and said post-processor.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising identifying less important e-mails at said display with an indicator on said display.

15. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising encrypting said data at said processors and said post-processor.