Nuclear Medicine Data Communications

Topic 10 Nuclear Medicine Data Communications

• Data Formats: Dicom and Interfile

• Data Communication (Nuclear Medicine Department and Hospital) -PACS

• Data Access (From Physician’s Home) - Teleradiology

• World Wide Internet

• Medical Resources on the Internet

File and Data Formats

• Interfile

• DICOM

• MEDICOM

• IPI (Image Processing Interchange)

• PCX/GIF/TIFF

Domain and Model

• Domain– What are we trying to do; Where are we trying

to do; Why are we trying to do

• Model– Application layer; Presentation; Session;

Transport; Network; Data Link; and Physical

Domains

• DICOM: – Radiological Image Transfer

• MEDICOM: – Image Handling in Medicine

• IPI: – Image Transfer

DICOM Model

MEDICOM Model

Objects in IPI Format

File Format

• Bitmap of Display

• Original Raw Data

• Information About the Raw Data

• Clinical Information

• Patient Information

• Acquisition information

• Etc.

Data Communications

• Hospital Information System

• Communication with Other Systems

• Data Aspects

• System Aspects

• A Real Implementation

Hospital Information System

• A Centralised Computer System

• Highly Optimised and Limited Flexibility

• High Degree of Reliability

• Primary Data: Patient data; Administrative; and Clinical Data

• Stand by System B

Communication With Other Systems

• Serial Line Connection (point to point, small message)

• Ethernet Connection (suitable for large amount of information transfer)

• Fibre Optics (High Speed)

• WAN/LAN Based (security).

Data Aspects

• Location and Distribution of Data

• Integrity(reliability, identification, hand-shake algorithm)

• How up to date (refresh rate)

• Encryption and/or Compression

• Availability.

• Storage (central and distributed)

System Aspects

• Local System (Data Accuracy, Security).

• Total System (Management, Sub-task, Security officer, Application specialist)

• Network management (Physical Location, etc)

• Other Connection(serial lines,Dedicated parallel lines or private ethernet, Modem).

A Real Implementation

Archiving Scheme

Schematic Data Flow In

Data Flow Out

Data Access From Physician’s Home

• Modem Connection

• Data Communication Protocols

• Display Packages

World Wide Network

• E-mail

• List Servers

• FTP

• Usenet Newsgroups

• Server Programs

The Inter Connection

E-mails

List Servers

File Transfer Protocols

Usenet Newsgroups

Server Programs

Archie Servers

Telnet Gopher Sites

Internet Resources