Multilevel adaptive process control of acquisition and post-processing of computed radiographic images in picture archiving and communication system environment.

Computed radiography (CR) has become a widely used imaging modality replacing the conventional screen/film procedure in diagnostic radiology. After a latent image is captured in a CR imaging plate, there are seven key processes required before a CR image can be reliably archived and displayed in a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) environment. Human error, computational bottlenecks, software bugs, and CR system errors often crash the CR acquisition and post-processing computers which results in a delay of transmitting CR images for proper viewing at the workstation. In this paper, we present a control theory and a fault tolerance algorithm, as well as their implementation in the PACS environment to circumvent such problems. The software implementation of the control theory and the algorithm is based on the event-driven, multilevel adaptive processing structure. The automated software has been used to provide real-time monitoring and control of CR image acquisition and post-processing in the intensive care unit module of the PACS operation at the University of California, San Francisco. Results demonstrate that the multilevel adaptive process control structure improves CR post-processing time, increases the reliability of the CR images delivery, minimizes user intervention, and speeds up the previously time-consuming quality assurance procedure.