[Development of a clinical-radiological CD-ROM database for focal lesions of the liver].

PURPOSE

The development of a CD-ROM database for continuous acquisition and archiving of interesting radiologic cases is described. As a pilot study radiologic images of focal lesions of the liver were collected.

METHODS

The database runs on a PC (80486 DX2, 66 MHz, 16 MB RAM), which is connected to the clinic network, a high quality x-ray scanner and a CD-ROM writer. Radiologic images can be inserted into the database either by scanner or by image transfer via network. The database is designed using Access 2.0. Well documented cases were chosen retrospectively, manipulated and archived.

RESULTS

308 images of 12 focal lesions with a capacity of 802 MB were stored on CD-ROM. Per case a storage capacity of 40-75 MB is necessary for image raw material, 15-25 MB are necessary for the postprocessed data. Spatial resolution is 190 dpi (3000 pixel/40 cm). Clinical data, radiological diagnosis coded by modified ACR index and a compressed icon of the images are stored on PC, the image data are stored on CD-ROM. 2.5 hours per case are needed for the complete acquisition, manipulation and archiving procedure, but improved hardware configuration can reduce the time significantly.

CONCLUSION

The described database allows continuous archiving of interesting radiologic cases on PC. ACR index is suited for a quick search of a specific combination of radiologic images and diagnosis from different modalities.