System and method for generating radiological prose text utilizing radiological prose text definition ontology

• US 8,321,196 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Healthcare Americas Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Medical Systems USA Incorporated (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hale, Charles R., Ding, Yihong
• Primary Examiner(s): JACKSON, JAKIEDA R
• Application Number:
  US12/572,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to a method programmed in a computing environment for providing prose text reporting, utilizing a prose text definition ontology comprising linguistic knowledge and a base report domain ontology. A system and method are provided to define various aspects of radiological report information processing as concept properties represented by a vocabulary of one or more instances of ontology concepts and presented in prose text. Even further, a system and method are provided for consulting a radiological prose text definition ontology wherein radiological domain concepts and relationships may be expressed or further utilized by other application programs. Users are able to quickly, accurately and consistently consult and report radiological observations in unambiguous prose text.

Claims

1. A method programmed for execution in a computing device for providing prose text report generation from a patient consultation, the method comprising:

capturing two or more orally provided knowledge information items pertaining to a patient or observations of a radiological image during the patient consultation, said two or more orally provided knowledge information items being provided in a memory of the computing device; and

utilizing a prose text definition ontology having linguistic knowledge and a base report domain ontology to structure one or more sentences of a prose text report based on said knowledge information items for presentation to a user;

said prose text definition ontology comprising;

one or more references to said base report domain ontology;

one or more connectors for modeling adjacent linguistic relations to connect concepts from said base report domain ontology; and

one or more sequences for modeling relations among concepts from said base report domain ontology;

wherein said prose text definition ontology is consulted with concepts from said base report domain ontology to provide prose text that expresses said concepts and relationships involved in the patient consultation;

wherein said base report domain ontology imports said knowledge items pertaining to the patient, defines said knowledge items as report domain concepts of said base report domain ontology, identifies relationships between said report domain concepts, and identifies constraints on said report domain concepts, wherein said knowledge items are identified, classified and validated in the context of said base report domain ontology; and

wherein said report domain concepts, said relationships between said report domain concepts and said constraints on said report domain concepts are presented to said prose text definition ontology to be expressed as prose text using said references, said connectors and said sequences in said one or more sentences.

2. A method programmed for execution in a computing device for consulting and creating a prose text report from a radiological domain ontology in reference to a subject, the method comprising:

defining one or more aspects of radiology report information as concept properties represented by a vocabulary of one or more instances of said radiological domain ontology, said radiological domain ontology declaring and fulfilling a model of radiological domain knowledge;

acquiring an orally provided non-radiological information item of interest that relates to said subject, said non-radiological information item of interest being provided to a memory of the computing device;

employing a context that defines a set of said radiological domain knowledge and the relationships among said set of radiological domain knowledge to describe said subject;

validating that said information item of interest is reportable radiological information and resides in said set of radiological domain knowledge;

identifying a definitive concept of said information item of interest from within said set of radiological domain knowledge;

classifying said informational item of interest; and

employing a context that defines a set of linguistic knowledge and the relationship among said set of linguistic knowledge to express said concept properties;

wherein said concept properties are expressed in the context of a linguistic ontology as prose text in the created prose text report.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said set of linguistic knowledge comprises:

references to said radiological domain ontology;

connectors for modeling adjacent linguistic relations that connect concepts within said radiological domain ontology; and

sequences for modeling relations among concepts within said radiological domain ontology.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said set of linguistic knowledge further comprises:

an open block for modeling the way the prose text report or a linguistic unit in the prose text starts; and

a close block for modeling the way the prose text report or a linguistic unit in the prose text ends.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising providing a set of sub-ontologies to said set of linguistic knowledge, wherein each of said sub-ontologies is dedicated to a specific language or dialect.