What Functions to Look For in a Mammography Viewer

Last Updated on Thursday, 2 December 2010 02:01 Written by admin Friday, 15 January 2010 06:21

If you manage a mammography imaging center, you understand that the bottom line is dependent on quick, accurate turnover of good quality digital images. One way to make sure that your center does not lose money is to invest in a mammography viewer that makes use of teleradiology.

Doing More With Less

Due to the nature of the profit-driven health care system in the U.S. and the incredible expenses and debt burden incurred by medical students, fewer and fewer doctors are going into less well-paying specialties such as radiology; while the demand for qualified radiologists is increasing by approximately 15% a year, the annual number of such specialists is growing by only 2% .

Teleradiology is simply the ability to send medical images to remote locations over the World Wide Web. Through teleradiology, a mammography imaging center can transfer such images to any other clinic in the world.

In addition, teleradiology capability will allow multiple viewers to study an image at the same time, facilitating consultation and faster, more accurate diagnoses.

Another benefit of teleradiology is that it enables the clinic to easily archive images in a remote location, making backup and disaster recovery much easier should the unthinkable happen.

Is It Customizable?

Another feature one should consider in a mammography viewer is the ability of the user(s) to customize its image retrieval functions. Every center has different needs and methods; when images can be searched and retrieved based on user-defined parameters, the result is a more efficient workflow and faster turnaround time.

User-Friendly?

It goes without saying that a mammography viewer that is easy to use will result in cost savings. A more complex system may run faster, but if it is necessary for staff to spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with a steep learning curve, it will cause cost more in the long run.

The Key Features of a PET-CT Viewer

Last Updated on Thursday, 2 December 2010 01:58 Written by admin Thursday, 7 January 2010 05:01

As you may be aware, positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) combines both of these imaging modalities into one system, allowing the images from each to be taken sequentially.

Although PET-CT imaging has revolutionized diagnostic medicine, cost and logistics have proven to be problematic; not only is the combined system quite expensive, the radioactive drugs required for this type of imaging are also costly and have a short shelf-life. The DICOM format and teleradiology has mitigated these issues somewhat, making it possible to disseminate such images over an intranet as well as the World Wide Web.

Basic Features

Ideally, a PET-CT viewer allows for display of the fused image while allowing the user to control blending and create a three-dimensional reconstruction of the subject. Flexibility is also important. In addition to a full set of image editing and manipulation software tools and and various import/export options, the viewer should be compatible with legacy systems, including non-DICOM protocols and file formats. Some of the tools to look for include:

The IG Viewer-An Insiders Guide

Last Updated on Friday, 19 November 2010 12:14 Written by admin Wednesday, 23 December 2009 02:48

The new ImageGridTM Mammography Web Viewer includes new features that adds more functionality than ever. The new IG MammoViewer allows authorized personnel to view images on any workstation that is connected to a network or the World Wide Web, and is suitable for viewing images taken in a variety of modalities, including: