User interface for a medical informatics systems

• US 6,734,880 B2
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.), University of Pittsburgh of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Original Assignee: Stentor, Inc. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.), University of Pittsburgh of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Inventors: Hebert, Bradford V., McCurtain, Benjamin J., Chang, Paul Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/449,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20020109735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 345/716, 345/738, 345/730, 345/732, 345/769, 345/650, 345/660, 345/670, 345/671, 345/661, 345/672, 345/684, 345/800, 345/801, 345/786, 345/788
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

A user interface for a medical informatics system, which permits a physician to work with digitized medical images in a manner that the physician is accustomed to working with traditional analog film, is disclosed. The user interface includes a through a patient browser view to provide the ability to select studies, which consist of medical images and series, for patients. After selecting the studies, the user, through a patient canvas view, may then organize the studies as well as the images/series within the studies, including resizing the studies and the images/series within a study. The user may also pan and zoom images to view portions of an image at various resolutions. Furthermore, the user of the user interface may analyze the image by selecting to view the image in detail in a large floating window.

Claims

1. A method for viewing medical images in a computer system, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, in said computer, graphical identifications for a plurality of studies corresponding to a patient, wherein a study comprises a plurality of related images acquired for said patient, and wherein a graphical identification to an image comprises a thumbnail view of said image;

displaying, on an output display of said computer, a first study in a first horizontal rack, said thumbnail views of said images for said first study being arranged in an adjacent manner within said first horizontal rack;

displaying, on said output display of said computer, a second study in a second horizontal rack, said thumbnail views of said images of said second study being arranged in an adjacent manner within said second horizontal rack, wherein said first and second horizontal racks being vertically deposed on said output display;

providing, through said computer, a means for a user to navigate said images, including panning and zooming said images; and

providing, through said computer, a means for a user to reposition said images on said output display.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing through said computer a means to select said at least two studies of a patient.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the step of selecting at least one study of a patient comprises the step of displaying a patient browser view, said patient browser view providing a means to select at least one patient and at least two studies for said patient.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to reposition said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to vertically re-arrange an order of display for said studies.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to reposition said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to scroll horizontally among said medical images/series of a study.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to reposition said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to re-arrange an order of display for said medical images/series within a study.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to navigate said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to resize said medical images.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the step of providing to a user a means to resize said medical images further comprises the step of maintaining an aspect ratio between height and width of said medical image.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to navigate said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to pan a medical image to display a different portion of a medical image.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to navigate said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to zoom in on a portion of a medical image to view said image at a different resolution.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing to a user a means to horizontally scroll said medical images within a study.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving at least two series for a study; and

linking said two series so as to provide simultaneous cine.

13. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying, in response to user selection, a report associated with said study.

14. A computer readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of:

receiving, in said computer, graphical identifications for a plurality of studies corresponding to a patient, wherein a study comprises a plurality of related images acquired for said patient, and wherein a graphical identification to an image comprises a thumbnail view of said image;

displaying, on an output display of said computer, a first study in a first horizontal rack, said thumbnail views of said images for said first study being arranged in an adjacent manner within said first horizontal rack;

displaying, on said output display of said computer, a second study in a second horizontal rack, said thumbnail views of said images of said second study being arranged in an adjacent manner within said second horizontal rack, wherein said first and second horizontal racks being vertically deposed on said output display;

providing, through said computer, a means for a user to navigate said images, including panning and zooming said images; and

providing, through said computer, a means for a user to reposition said images on said output display.

15. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the step of providing through said computer a means to select said at least two studies of a patient.

16. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 15, wherein the step of selecting at least one study of a patient comprises the step of displaying a patient browser view, said patient browser view providing a means to select at least one patient and at least two studies for said patient.

17. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to reposition said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to vertically re-arrange an order of display for said studies.

18. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to reposition said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to scroll horizontally among said medical images/series of a study.

19. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to reposition said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to re-arrange an order of display for said medical images/series within a study.

20. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to navigate said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to resize said medical images.

21. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 20, wherein the step of providing to a user a means to resize said medical images further comprises the step of maintaining an aspect ratio between height and width of said medical image.

22. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of providing a means for a user to navigate said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to pan a medical image to display a different portion of a medical image.

23. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, the step of providing a means for a user to navigate said images comprises the step of providing to a user a means to zoom in on a portion of a medical image to view said image at a different resolution.

24. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the step of providing to a user a means to horizontally scroll said medical images within a study.

25. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

receiving at least two series for a study; and

linking said two series so as to provide simultaneous cine.

26. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the step of displaying, in response to user selection, a report associated with said study.

27. A computer system comprising:

input device for receiving graphical identifications for a plurality of studies corresponding to a patient, wherein a study comprises a plurality of related images acquired for said patient, and wherein a graphical identification to an image comprises a thumbnail view of said image;

output display for displaying a first study in a first horizontal rack, said thumbnail views of said images for said first study being arranged in an adjacent manner within said first horizontal rack, and for displaying a second study in a second horizontal rack, said thumbnail views of said images of said second study being arranged in an adjacent manner within said second horizontal rack, wherein said first and second horizontal racks being vertically deposed on said output display;

input control device for receiving user input; and

processing unit, coupled to said input control device, for providing a means for a user to reposition said images on said output, and for providing a means for a user to navigate said images, including panning and zooming said images.