An open-source repository-based tool for quality control of imaging protocol compliance: demonstration in a...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Multicenter MRI studies face challenges in standardizing imaging protocols.
• Ensuring protocol adherence is crucial for reliable research and clinical translation of advanced MRI techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate an automated tool for monitoring deviations from imaging protocols in multicenter MRI studies.
• To enable timely corrective actions and enhance standardization in clinical trials.

Main Methods:

• A Python-based tool was integrated into the XNAT imaging repository.
• The tool compares DICOM series against agreed imaging protocols, identifying missing series and parameter deviations.
• Demonstrated using retrospective analysis of a prospective ten-site whole-body MRI study in multiple myeloma patients.

Main Results:

• The software demonstrated 0% technical failure across 174 examinations from ten sites.
• Clinical guidelines were followed in 87.9% of examinations, with site-specific protocol compliance exceeding 75.0% for all parameters.
• Common deviations involved diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and Dixon parameters; protocol compliance correlated significantly with radiological image quality.

Conclusions:

• A novel, open-source, repository-integrated software tool for automated monitoring of imaging protocol compliance is presented.
• This tool supports standardization in multicenter studies, enhancing research outcomes and facilitating clinical translation of advanced MRI.
• Automated compliance monitoring is essential for the successful execution of multicenter imaging research.