Medical image diagnostic apparatus and remote maintenance system

• US 8,204,832 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FUJIFILM Healthcare Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Minagawa, Katsuyuki, Katono, Etsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US12/445,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20100316266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 705 50- 51
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/283 Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A remote maintenance system for medical image diagnostic apparatuses capable of preventing leak of personal information on the patient attached to a medical image.

The system comprises an MRI apparatus (100), a server (300) installed in a service center of a company performing the maintenance service on the MRI apparatus (100), and a network facility (200) for interconnecting the server (300) and the MRI apparatus (100).

The server (300) transmits a permission request for remote connection to the MRI apparatus (100) through the network facility (200).

If the remote connection is permitted, a VPN control unit (8a) of the MRI apparatus (100) converts the personal information on the medical image into a concealed mark and transmits it along with the medical image to the server (300).

Claims

1. A remote maintenance system of a medical image diagnostic apparatus, said remote maintenance system comprising:

a medical image diagnostic apparatus that is configured to acquire a medical image of an object;

a server installed in a service center of a company and disposed to perform maintenance service on the medical image diagnostic apparatus through a communication network that connects the server and the medical image diagnostic apparatus,

wherein;

the server includes image display means and communicates a request for authorizing telecommunication to the medical image diagnostic apparatus via the image display means and the communication network, and

the server further comprises display control unit for causing, the medical image received from the medical image diagnostic apparatus via the communication network to be displayed by the image display means; and

the medical image diagnostic apparatus comprises a conversion processing means for converting a part of personal information of the object into a concealed mark in response to the request for telecommunication transmitted from the server and transmits the medical image of the object along with the converted concealed mark, to the server via the communication network, and

the medical image diagnostic apparatus further comprises image identifying means to identify the medical image of the object by reference to one or more other parts of the personal information of the object, and

the medical image diagnostic apparatus comprises apparatus-side image display means, and displays on the apparatus-side image display means a message that the personal information of the object is converted into a concealed mark and the converted concealed mark is transmitted to the communication network along with the medical image of the object.

2. The remote maintenance system of the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the server displays a message on the image display means of the server indicating that the concealed mark is transmitted from the medical image diagnostic apparatus via the communication network along with the medical image and the personal information is concealed.

3. The remote maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the part of the personal information of the object includes identification of patient, and said one or more other parts of the personal information identifies the medical image without specifically identifying the patient.

4. The remote maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the part of the personal information of the object includes identification of patient, and said one or more other parts of the personal information includes (i) date of study in which the medical image was acquired and (ii) identification of the study.

5. The remote maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein

the medical image diagnostic apparatus comprises apparatus-side image display means that is configured to display the medical image and the personal information of the object, wherein

the image display means of the server includes a remote desktop application, and

the remote desktop application, when executed by the server while the medical age and the personal information of the object are displayed on the apparatus-side image display means of the medical image diagnostic apparatus, causes the medical image displayed on the apparatus-side image display means to be displayed also on the image display means of the server

while the conversion processing means of the medical image diagnostic apparatus recognizes the remote desktop application in execution by the server and causes the concealed mark to be displayed, in place of part of the personal information of the object, on the image display means of the server.