Practical mini-PACS based on a hybrid video and digital network.
The Department of Radiology of the Shinshu University Hospital is presently in the process of developing a new type of mini-PACS with a hybrid architecture consisting of a video and a digital image archiving network. The video block consists of a server station with a video write-once optical disk (LD) and three workstations which are connected to two ultrasound imaging devices and an MRI device. The video images from any of these imaging devices are transferred immediately onto an LD. The examiner can observe the archived images immediately without any interruption of the examination. The image transmission time, including the record and play-back, is within 3 s. The digital block consists of a personal computer server and various workstations linked to the ETHERNET. This digital system supports database management, and archives digital images. This prototype system was used for daily clinical examinations from February 1989 to January 1990 and 31,366 images from 1561 patients were stored on the video disk. This one year experience suggests that a hybrid mini-PACS system is practical for total image archiving when the image matrix is less than 512 x 512 and selected digital image archiving.
User and manufacturer's requirements for IMAC standardization in Japan.
Many radiologists and radiological technologists understand that Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) are useful not only for image management but also for improving the quality of patient care. However, such systems have not yet been widely installed in hospitals. In order to determine why radiologists have not installed a PACS in their hospitals, we carried out a written survey of 400 Japanese hospitals asking them to describe the current image management activities, the problems inherent in PACS and the problems related to standardization. 216 hospitals responded, and the following suggestions were compiled concerning possible improvements to PACS. (1) PACS benefit needs to be improved with respect to patient care. (2) The cost of PACS should be reduced. (3) The system should be easier to operate and should save time. (4) Standardization is needed to allow simplified, cost-effective networking. We also carried out a written survey of 25 PACS and related equipment manufacturers asking them to describe the opinions inherent in current PACs and the problems related to standardization. Ten manufacturers responded, and the various suggestions were compiled concerning possible improvements to the PAC system.
Direct conversion pulsed UWB transceiver architecture
Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication is an emerging wireless technology that promises high data rates over short distances and precise locationing. The large available bandwidth and the constraint of a maximum power spectral density drives a unique set of system challenges. This paper addresses these challenges using two UWB transceivers and a discrete prototype platform.