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Published on: October 6, 2023
Radiology reporting, past, present, and future: the radiologist's perspective
Bruce I Reiner1, Nancy Knight, Eliot L Siegel
1Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA. breiner1@comcast.net
Summary
Radiology reports can be improved from static free text to structured formats using new technologies. A graphical symbol language mapped to RadLex offers a searchable, analyzable alternative to traditional reporting.
Area of Science:
- Radiology and Medical Imaging
- Health Informatics
- Natural Language Processing
Background:
- Traditional radiology reports (free text) suffer from inconsistencies in content, structure, organization, and nomenclature.
- Despite technological advancements, structured reporting has been limited due to clinical, psychological, legal, and economic challenges.
- Current healthcare demands emphasize improved quality, timeliness, and communication, alongside concerns about stress and malpractice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an alternative to traditional radiology reporting that addresses existing deficiencies.
- To leverage new technologies and initiatives for revolutionizing report content and structure.
- To enhance the searchability and analyzability of radiology reports.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a standardized nomenclature (RadLex).
- Integrating automated information technologies like picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) and electronic medical records (EMR).
- Employing natural-language processing (NLP) for data tracking and analysis.
- Developing a graphical symbol language directly mapped to RadLex.
- Automatically converting the graphical language into a structured hierarchical text report.
Main Results:
- The proposed approach facilitates the conversion of a graphical symbol language into a structured hierarchical text report.
- This structured report format is designed to be more easily searched and analyzed compared to traditional free-text reports.
- The method aims to address the limitations of current reporting systems while incorporating technological advancements.
Conclusions:
- A novel approach using a graphical symbol language mapped to RadLex offers a structured alternative to traditional radiology reporting.
- This method enhances report searchability and analyzability, addressing key deficiencies in current practices.
- The proposed system integrates standardized nomenclature and automated technologies to meet evolving healthcare demands.
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