Integrated multimedia electronic patient record and graph-based image information for cerebral tumors

Current electronic patient record (EPR) implementations do not incorporate medical images, nor structural information extracted from them, despite images increasing role for diagnosis. This paper presents an integration framework into EPRs of anatomical and pathological knowledge extracted from segmented magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), applying a graph of representation for anatomical and functional information for individual patients. Focusing on cerebral tumors examination and patient follow-up, multimedia EPRs were created and evaluated through a 3D navigation application, developed with open-source libraries and standards. Results suggest that the enhanced clinical information scheme could lead to original changes in the way medical experts utilize image-based information.