Method and apparatus for creating medical teaching files from image archives

• US 20040107210A1
• Filed: 11/29/2002
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agency For Science Technology and Research, National Neuroscience Institute
• Original Assignee: Agency For Science Technology and Research, National Neuroscience Institute
• Inventors: Nowinski, Wieslaw L., Yang, Guo Liang, Lim, Choie Cheio Tchoyoson
• Granted Patent: US 7,047,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/941 Human sciences
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for retrieving medical images from at least one image archive and creating at least one teaching file; the method including the steps of retrieving at least one medical image from the image archive; storing the at least one medical image in a database; generating a database record for the teaching file; generating the teaching file; saving the teaching file into the database; and generating at least one index of the teaching file

Claims

1. A method for retrieving medical images from at least one imaging archive and creating at least one teaching file;

the method including the steps of;

(a) retrieving at least one medical image from the at least one image archive;

(b) storing the at least one medical image in a database;

(c) generating a database record for the at least one teaching file;

(d) generating the teaching file;

(e) saving the teaching file into the database; and

(f) generating at least one index of the teaching files.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a searching mechanism for searching the teaching file is provided.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the at least one medical image is retrieved from the at least one clinical database, patient-specific information related to the at least one medical image is retrieved with the at least one medical image

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the patient-specific information includes sensitive information, the sensitive information being subjected to an anonymization process.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the anonymization process includes the steps of replacing each item of the sensitive information with an anonymization code.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the anonymization code includes a randomly generated number, a prefix and a type.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the prefix is a short string of characters representing the creator of the sensitive information;

and the type represents nature of the sensitive information.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a check is first performed to determine if the item of sensitive information has previously been anonymized and the anonymization code previously generated;

and, if yes, retrieving and using the previously generated anonymization code.

9. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sensitive information includes one or more items selected from the group consisting of patient'"'"'s name, patient ID, other patient'"'"'s names, other patient IDs, patient'"'"'s birth name, patient'"'"'s address, patient'"'"'s telephone numbers, patient'"'"'s mother'"'"'s birth name, region of residence, country of residence, military rank, branch of service, patient comments, additional patient history, referring physician'"'"'s name, referring physician'"'"'s address, referring physician'"'"'s telephone numbers, and all other person names.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein retrieval of the at least one medical image may be in batches or interactively.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein when retrieval is in batches, a plurality of medical images and information relative to the plurality of medical images is retrieved automatically using groups of patient identifiers.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein when retrieval is in batches a plurality of medical images and information relative to the plurality of medical images is retrieved automatically using groups of study identifiers.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the retrieval is by a PACS accessor of an image server reading and retrieving the plurality of medical images from the at least one clinical image archive according to the patient identifiers.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the retrieval is by a PACS accessor of an image processor reading and retrieving the plurality of medical images from the at least one clinical image archive using the study identifiers.

16. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one medical image is received from the at least one clinical image archive, the image server first storing the image in a temporary disk directory and validating the at least one image according to a DICOM standard;

and, if the at least one image is not a valid DICOM image, the image server discarding the at least one image and checking in the database for duplication.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein if the at least one image already exists in the database, the image server moves the at least one image into a duplication directory.

18. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein if the at least one image is not in the database, the image server queries the at least one clinical image archive to retrieve relevant patient, study, series and image information, and merges the information with the at least one medical image;

and stores the information and the at least one medical image in the database.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the at least one medical image and information are stored in the database and indexed by one or more selected form the group consisting of patient'"'"'s name, patient ID, study ID, series ID and image ID.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one medical image is spanned to multiple storage media by determining when a current storage medium reaches its maximum capacity, finding a further storage medium with sufficient free space and are sending further medical images for storage to the further storage medium.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one teaching file is in accordance with a Medical Imaging Resource Centre standard.

35. Computer useable medium comprising a computer program code that is configured to cause a processor to execute one or more functions to perform the method of claim 1.

15. A method as claimed in 10, wherein when retrieval is interactive, the at least one clinical image archive is queried using a graphic user interface and instructions are passed from the graphic user interface to a PACS accessor of an image server, the PACS accessor interrogating the at least one clinical image archive, finding at least one medical image of interest, and retrieving the at least one medical image and information relative to the at least one medical images.

22. Apparatus for retrieving medical images from at least one image archive and creating at least one teaching file;

the apparatus including a database, an image server, a MIRC server, a web server, and a graphic user interface for operation on a user'"'"'s machine.

23. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the database is a relational database for storage of all required information, including database tables, database indexes, database scripts, and pointers to the medical images and teaching files.

24. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the image server is for communicating with the at least one clinical image archive, querying and retrieving the at least one medical images, and patient data, study data, series data, and image-related information from the at least one medical image.

25. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the MIRC server provides MIRC compliant functions, including MIRC queries and MIRC storage.

26. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the web server serves requests received from a user via the graphic user interface on a user'"'"'s machine;

the graphic user interface being for providing access functions and MIRC file editing functions.

27. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the image server includes a PACS accessor for querying and retrieving images from at least one image archive.

28. Apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the image server includes a DICOM receiver for receiving the at least one medical image retrieved from the at least one image archive by the PACS accessor.

29. Apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the image server further includes a DICOM anonymizer for anonymizing the at least one medical image received from the at least one image archive by the DICOM receiver

30. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein an MIRIP servlet is provided in the web server to service requests from the graphic user interface.

31. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the graphic user interface includes an MIRIP client as a user interface able to run in a web browser or as a stand alone application on a user'"'"'s machine.

32. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the MIRIC server includes an MIRC storage for providing an MIRC teaching file storage service for the database and for the user'"'"'s machine.

33. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the MIRC server includes an MIRC query to provide queries as defined by the MIRC scheme

34. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the at least one teaching file is in accordance with a Medical Imaging Resource Centre standard.