[Architecture and organization of PACS workstations: a critical overview]

The development and implementation of a workstation capable of handling medical images and data from different imaging modalities require a particular user-interface design so that it is easily accessible by clinical and non-computer-oriented users. Appropriate management of medical images from different imaging modalities is the first step toward the integration of multimedia information in a coherent computerized medical record. It is also the most challenging part because the amount of data obtained in the form of images is much greater than the text, graphic or sound elements. The proportion of clinical investigations based on imaging modalities is also constantly increasing. The goal of this paper is to review some important design concepts of imaging workstations and to explore the needs and requirements of medical image display and manipulation.