Methods and systems for medical image processing, retrieval, and reviewing

• US 8,638,997 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Dirckx, Conrad
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINI, AMANDEEP SINGH
• Application Number:
  US13/301,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20120134554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/128
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

In a medical image processing and retrieval system or method, an image processing system is configured to obtain a set of medical image data and to process the medical image data using at least one interpretation tool. A database is configured to store interpretation information generated in processing the medical image data using the interpretation tool. A viewing server is configured in response to a user interface instruction to retrieve from the database the interpretation information generated in processing the medical image data and to identity the at least one interpretation tool to the user interface.

Claims

1. A medical image processing and retrieval system, comprising:

an image processing system configured to obtain medical image data and to process the medical image data by a first user using interpretation tools on said medical image data to generate a report concerning said medical image data;

a database configured to store interpretation information for all interpretation tools used to generate the report and parameters or positions of each of the interpretation tools used for the generation of said report by said first user, said interpretation tools comprising at least one of window level, view type, segmentation, and thresholding; and

a viewing server having a user interface and configured in response to a user interface instruction by a second user to retrieve said report and also to allow retrieval from the database of said medical image data, all of said interpretation tools, all of said parameters or positions of each of the interpretation tools, and all of said stored interpretation information used for the generation of said report when the second user activates at least one link in said report to allow the second user to process the images with the same interpretation tools as the first user who generated said report.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising an identification system configured to generate a unique identifier for the interpretation information.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the database is further configured to store the unique identifier with the interpretation information.

4. The system according to claim 2 further comprising a reporting system configured to receive the processed image data and the interpretation information;

and

said second user at said user interface initiating an instruction by at least one hyperlink to the viewing server to retrieve said interpretation information.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the hyperlink is associated with the unique identifier for the interpretation information.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein all of the interpretation tools can be provided to said second user at said user interface.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the second user obtaining said report at said user interface and by clicking on one or more hyperlinks in said report said second user can obtain said interpretation information.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the second user at said user interface can receive an identification of all of the interpretation tools and said user interface being configured to load the interpretation tools with the processed image data and the interpretation information.

9. A method for processing medical image data, comprising the steps of:

providing an image processing system configured to obtain medical image data and for processing the medical image data by a first user using interpretation tools on said medical image data to generate a report concerning said medical image data;

providing a data base configured to store interpretation information for all interpretation tools used to generate the report and parameters or positions of each of the interpretation tools used for generation of said report by said first user, said interpretation tools comprising at least one of window level, view type, segmentation, and thresholding;

providing a viewing server having a user interface and configured in response to a user interface instruction by a second user to retrieve said report; and

said second user downloading said report at said user interface, and at said user interface said user being allowed to retrieve from the data base by use of said viewing server after downloading said report said medical image data, all of said interpretation tools, all of said parameters or positions of each of the interpretation tools, and all of said stored interpretation information used for generation of said report to allow the second user to process the images with the same interpretation tools as the first user who generated said report.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program tangibly embodied thereon, said computer program, when executed by a computer, processing medical image data by performing the steps of:

providing an image processing system configured to obtain medical image data and for processing the medical image data by a first user using interpretation tools on said medical image data to generate a report concerning said medical image data;

providing a data base configured to store interpretation information for all interpretation tools used to generate the report and parameters or positions of each of the interpretation tools used for generation of said report by said first user, said interpretation tools comprising at least one of window level, view type, segmentation, and thresholding;

providing a viewing server having a user interface and configured in response to a user interface instruction by a second user to retrieve said report; and

said second user downloading said report at said user interface, and at said user interface said user being allowed to retrieve from the data base by use of said viewing server after downloading said report said medical image data, all of said interpretation tools, all of said parameters or positions of each of the interpretation tools, and all of said stored interpretation information used for generation of said report to allow the second user to process the images with the same interpretation tools as the first user who generated said report.

11. A medical image processing and retrieval system, comprising:

an image processing system configured to obtain medical image data and to process the medical image data by a first user using interpretation tools on said medical image data to generate a report concerning said medical image data;

a database configured to store interpretation information for all interpretation tools used to generate the report and of each of the interpretation tools used for the generation of said report by said first user, said interpretation tools comprising at least one of window level, view type, segmentation, and thresholding; and

a viewing server having a user interface and configured in response to a user interface instruction by a second user to retrieve said report and also to allow retrieval from the database of said medical image data, all of said interpretation tools, all of said parameters or positions of each of the interpretation tools, and all of said stored interpretation information used for the generation of said report when the second user activates at least one link in said report to allow the second user to process the images with the same interpretation tools as the first user who generated said report.