Informatics in radiology (infoRAD): Vendor-neutral case input into a server-based digital teaching file system

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology Education
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Digital teaching files are crucial for radiology education.
• Existing methods for exporting DICOM images from PACS for desktop publishing are inadequate.
• There is a need for efficient tools to create educational case series from PACS data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the Radiology Interesting Case Server (RadICS) as a solution for exporting DICOM images from PACS.
• To assess the efficiency of RadICS in harvesting and converting imaging studies for teaching file creation.
• To determine if RadICS can be used without modifying existing PACS configurations.

Main Methods:

• Radiologists utilized the vendor-neutral RadICS system.
• Imaging studies were transferred from PACS to RadICS using the standard DICOM Send protocol.
• RadICS automatically converted DICOM images to Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
• Key images were selected and compiled into case series at the PACS workstation.

Main Results:

• RadICS successfully facilitated the export of DICOM images from PACS.
• The system automatically converted images to JPEG format, suitable for desktop publishing.
• RadICS was tested successfully with multiple unmodified commercial PACS.
• Radiologists could create interesting case series with minimal workflow disruption.

Conclusions:

• RadICS provides an efficient, vendor-neutral solution for creating digital teaching files from PACS.
• The system enables radiologists to harvest and author interesting cases at the point of clinical interpretation.
• RadICS requires no PACS modifications, offering a seamless integration into clinical workflows.