by Rova, Andrew; Celler, Anna; Hamarneh, Ghassan

We have developed a cross-platform software application that implements all of the basic standardized nuclear medicine scintillation camera quality control analyses, thus serving as an independent complement to camera manufacturers’ software. Our application allows direct comparison of data and statistics from different cameras through its ability to uniformly analyze a range of file types. The program has been tested using multiple gamma cameras, and its results agree with comparable analysis by the manufacturers’ software.

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9030-y
Online Date: 3/28/2007
Print publication date: 6/1/2008
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by Teistler, M.; Breiman, R. S.; Lison, T.; Bott, O. J.; Pretschner, D. P.; Aziz, A.; Nowinski, W. L.

Volumetric imaging (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) provides increased diagnostic detail but is associated with the problem of navigation through large amounts of data. In an attempt to overcome this problem, a novel 3D navigation tool has been designed and developed that is based on an alternative input device. A 3D mouse allows for simultaneous definition of position and orientation of orthogonal or oblique multiplanar reformatted images or slabs, which are presented within a virtual 3D scene together with the volume-rendered data set and additionally as 2D images. Slabs are visualized with maximum intensity projection, average intensity projection, or standard volume rendering technique. A prototype has been implemented based on PC technology that has been tested by several radiologists. It has shown to be easily understandable and usable after a very short learning phase. Our solution may help to fully exploit the diagnostic potential of volumetric imaging by allowing for a more efficient reading process compared to currently deployed solutions based on conventional mouse and keyboard.

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9025-8
Online Date: 3/27/2007
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Voll, Kimberly; Atkins, Stella; Forster, Bruce

Despite the potential to dominate radiology reporting, current speech recognition technology is thus far a weak and inconsistent alternative to traditional human transcription. This is attributable to poor accuracy rates, in spite of vendor claims, and the wasted resources that go into correcting erroneous reports. A solution to this problem is post-speech-recognition error detection that will assist the radiologist in proofreading more efficiently. In this paper, we present a statistical method for error detection that can be applied after transcription. The results are encouraging, showing an error detection rate as high as 96% in some cases.

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9034-7
Online Date: 3/27/2007
Print publication date: 12/1/2008
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by Jeong, Dong Kyun; Lee, Kyoung Ho; Kim, Bo Hyoung; Kim, Kil Joong; Kim, Young Hoon; Bajpai, Vasundhara; Shin, Yeong Gil

We propose a system that automatically generates multiplanar reformation (MPR) images on-the-fly, which is independent of computed tomography (CT) scanner type. Triggered by digital imaging communication in medicine (DICOM) Storage Commitment or in a time threshold manner, this system generates MPR images from received thin-section CT data sets with predefined reformation parameters and then sends MPR images to DICOM stations. Users can specify the reformation parameters and the destination of the resulting MPR images for each CT study description. A pilot system was tested for 3 months. From thin-section data sets received from two 16- and one 64-detector-row CT scanners, this system generated MPR images and sent them to the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) without failure or any additional human operation. For 143 test thin-section CT studies (172–4,761 images in each study), the time to store reformatted images (axial and coronal with 5-mm thicknesses and 4-mm intervals) in PACS after the completion of the CT scan ranged from 92 to 1,772 s (mean  SD, 555.1  509.4).

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9032-9
Online Date: 3/24/2007
Print publication date: 9/1/2008
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by Pfeil, Alexander; Böttcher, Joachim; Schäfer, Max L.; Seidl, Bettina E.; Schmidt, Mirco; Petrovitch, Alexander; Heyne, Jens-Peter; Lehmann, Gabriele; Oelzner, Peter; Hein, Gert; Wolf, Gunter; Kaiser, Werner A.

The study introduces reference data for a computer-aided analysis. The semiautomated computer-aided diagnostic system provides the estimation of joint space width at the distal interphalangeal joints, considering gender-specific and age-related changes.869 subjects (351 female/518 male) with hand x-rays were included and underwent measurements of joint space distances at the distal interphalangeal articulation (JSD-DIP) of the second to the fifth finger using computer-aided joint space analysis (CAJSA).Data showed a notable age-related decrease of CAJSA parameters, and an accentuated age-related joint space narrowing in women. Males showed a significantly wider JSD-DIP ( 16.7%) compared to the female cohort for all age groups. Both men and women revealed an accentuated decrease of JSD-DIP (total) in the age group from 10 to 15 years (for men 10.5% and for women 17.6%). After the age of 21 years a continuous decline of the JSD-DIP (total) is observed.Our data present gender-specific and age-related normative reference data for computer-aided joint space analysis, which provide a valid and reliable differentiation between disease-related joint space narrowing and age-related joint space narrowing, particularly in patients with osteoarthritis of the fingers.

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9031-x
Online Date: 3/24/2007
Print publication date: 10/1/2008
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by Logeswaran, Rajasvaran

Automated computer analysis of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) (a focused magnetic resonance imaging sequence for the pancreatobiliary region of the abdomen) images for biliary diseases is a difficult problem because of the large inter- and intrapatient variations in the images, varying acquisition settings, and characteristics of the images, defeating most attempts to produce computer-aided diagnosis systems. This paper proposes a system capable of automated preliminary diagnosis of several diseases affecting the bile ducts in the liver, namely, dilation, stones, tumor, and cyst. The system first identifies the biliary ductal structure present in the MRCP images, and then proceeds to determine the presence or absence of the diseases. Tested on a database of 593 clinical images, the system, which uses visual-based features, has shown to be successful in delivering good performance of 70–90% even in the presence of multiple diseases, and may be useful in aiding medical practitioners in routine MRCP examinations.

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9029-4
Online Date: 3/8/2007
Print publication date: 6/1/2008
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by Ward, Aaron D.; Hamarneh, Ghassan; Schweitzer, Mark E.

The bicipital groove of the proximal humerus is formed by the medial and lateral tuberosities and serves to retain the long biceps tendon in its proper place as the arm moves. Bicipital root and proximal tendon disorders are an important symptom generator in the shoulder. The accuracy of the diagnosis of many shoulder disorders visually without quantitative shape analysis is limited, motivating a clinical need for some ancillary method to assess the proximal biceps. In previous studies, measurements of bicipital groove shape were 2-dimensional (2D), taken from a single axial slice. Because of significant variations in groove shape from one axial slice to another in a single patient, such approaches risk overlooking shape features important to long biceps tendon pathology. In this paper, we present a study of the relationship between bicipital groove shape and long biceps tendon pathology using a novel 3-dimensional (3D) shape descriptor for the bicipital groove. In addition to providing quantitative measures of the shape of the groove and its relation to tendopathy, the new descriptor allows for intuitive, descriptive visualization of the shape of the groove.

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9027-6
Online Date: 3/7/2007
Print publication date: 6/1/2008
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by Allen, Shannon; Parent, Eric; Khorasani, Maziyar; Hill, Douglas L.; Lou, Edmond; Raso, James V.

Choosing the most suitable treatment for scoliosis relies heavily on accurate and reproducible Cobb angle measurement from successive radiographs. The objective is to reduce variability of Cobb angle measurement by reducing user intervention and bias. Custom software to increase automation of the Cobb angle measurement from posteroanterior radiographs was developed using active shape models. Validity and reliability of the automated system against a manual and semiautomated measurement method was conducted by two examiners each performing measurements on three occasions from a test set ( = 22). A training set ( = 47) of radiographs representative of curves seen in a scoliosis clinic was used to train the software to recognize vertebrae from T4 to L4. Images with a maximum Cobb angle between 20° and 50°, excluding surgical cases, were selected for training and test sets. Automated Cobb angles were calculated using best-fit slopes of the detected vertebrae endplates. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM) showed high intraexaminer (ICC > 0.90, SEM 2°–3°) and interexaminer (ICC > 0.82, SEM 2°–4°), but poor intermethod reliability (ICC = 0.30, SEM 8°–9°). The automated method underestimated large curves. The reliability improved (ICC = 0.70, SEM 4°–5°) with exclusion of the four largest curves (>40°) in the test set. The automated method was reliable for moderate-sized curves, and did detect vertebrae in larger curves with a modified training set of larger curves.

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9026-7
Online Date: 3/6/2007
Print publication date: 6/1/2008
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by Fetterly, Kenneth A.; Blume, Hartwig R.; Flynn, Michael J.; Samei, Ehsan

Consistent presentation of digital radiographic images at all locations within a medical center can help ensure a high level of patient care. Currently, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are the electronic display technology of choice for viewing medical images. As the inherent luminance (and thereby perceived contrast) properties of different LCDs can vary substantially, calibration of the luminance response of these displays is required to ensure that observer perception of an image is consistent on all displays. The digital imaging and communication in medicine (DICOM) grayscale standard display function (GSDF) defines the luminance response of a display such that an observer’s perception of image contrast is consistent throughout the pixel value range of a displayed image. The main purpose of this work is to review the theoretical and practical aspects of calibration of LCDs to the GSDF. Included herein is a review of LCD technology, principles of calibration, and other practical aspects related to calibration and observer perception of images presented on LCDs. Both grayscale and color displays are considered, and the influence of ambient light on calibration and perception is discussed.

DOI: 10.1007/s10278-007-9022-y
Online Date: 3/1/2007
Print publication date: 6/1/2008
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