System Overview
The realm of medical imaging technology, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computer Tomography (CT), has witnessed significant advancements due to technological progress. These technologies not only offer high precision in diagnostics but have also become more accessible and cost-effective. Consequently, there's a rising trend in their usage, leading to an increased volume of medical imaging performed annually.
A key aspect of medical imaging is the vast amount of data it generates, some of which may not be immediately discernible. Advanced Medical Imaging tools enhance the clarity of this information, thereby aiding physicians in diagnosis and treatment planning. With the recent surge in Artificial Intelligence, the development of these tools has accelerated, propelling the medical imaging industry forward. This industry is now a burgeoning field, estimated to be worth over $40 billion as of 2023, and is expected to continue growing. Innovations such as automated brain tumor detection and segmentation are prime examples of the capabilities of modern medical imaging technologies.
Medical imaging companies often encounter significant challenges when attempting to enter the commercial healthcare market. Development is just the beginning—successful integration into hospital systems requires a multifaceted approach. Key requirements include:
- PACS Communication: Seamless integration with secure hospital imaging servers (PACS).
- Scalability: Ability to handle increasing demands, particularly when operating across multiple hospitals, with automatic scaling in response to demand spikes.
- Patient Data Protection: Ensuring secure processing and confidentiality of patient data.
- Study Monitoring Service: Enabling clinicians and management to track the progress of imaging studies.
- Accounting and Metrics: Facilitating easy billing for services rendered on a per-use basis and providing hospitals with various metrics to assess system usage.
Our solution is designed to address these needs by creating a robust and comprehensive system tailored for medical imaging companies. Utilizing cloud-based technologies, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), we ensure both the security and scalability of our system. Our modular design incorporates internal PACS servers, which allow for effortless scaling and seamless addition of new features. Additionally, our Job Monitoring App provides a real-time web application for hospitals and companies to access metrics and monitor studies. The following sections provide more detailed insights into our technological advancements.
Our technological framework is built to cater to the complex needs of medical imaging in the healthcare sector. We employ a cloud computing architecture using Kubernetes, specifically through the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), which enhances our system's security and scalability.
The architecture's modular nature allows for efficient scalability and the straightforward integration of new products to accommodate more medical imaging companies. Internally, our PACS servers are designed to facilitate communication and data exchange within hospital networks securely.
Furthermore, our Job Monitoring App offers a user-friendly web application that enables hospitals and companies to access metrics and monitor imaging studies in real time. This tool is crucial for ensuring operational transparency and enhancing decision-making processes within medical facilities. Detailed explanations of these technologies follow in the subsequent sections.
A common practice in the industry is the distribution and deployment of medical imaging software as Docker containers. This approach allows for seamless integration and scalability. Docker containers encapsulate the software, its environment, and dependencies, ensuring consistency across different deployment scenarios. The typical workflow involves inputting medical imaging data into the tool, which then processes the data and generates the required output. To accurately simulate a real-world medical imaging product, we've designed an example product that encompasses all critical components typically found in such tools.
Brainmask Tool
Raw DICOM Directory: The starting point for our example product is a raw DICOM directory, which contains a patient's scan session data. This mimics the initial data input step in real-world medical imaging processes.
Validation and Preparation: Upon receiving the raw data, the system validates and processes it to ready it for further analysis.
3D MRI Brain Segmentation: Utilizing advanced AI, the product employs a 3D MRI brain segmentation model to analyze the scan data meticulously. This step is crucial for extracting meaningful insights from the patient's scans.
Brain Segmentation Image and PDF Report: The result of the processing step is twofold:
- A detailed brain segmentation image file, providing visual insights into the patient's brain anatomy.
- A comprehensive PDF report summarizing the findings, suitable for medical review and diagnosis.
DICOM Format Encoding: The final step involves encoding the outputs (the image file and PDF report) back into the medical imaging DICOM format. This requirement caters to the real-world needs of hospitals and medical facilities, ensuring compatibility and ease of integration with existing medical records systems.
By creating this example product, we've laid the groundwork for simulating the integration and functionality of real-world medical imaging products within our enterprise system. This approach not only demonstrates our system's capabilities but also ensures readiness for deployment in actual medical imaging contexts.
Our application leverages a robust PACS infrastructure, which stands for Picture Archiving and Communication System. This innovative system has transformed the landscape of medical imaging management, offering healthcare providers a streamlined approach to storing and accessing medical images alongside patient data.
PACS centralizes the storage of medical images generated from various imaging modalities, including X-ray, MRI, CT scans, and ultrasound, within a unified digital repository. This consolidation enables healthcare professionals to remotely access patient images and associated reports from different locations within a healthcare facility or external sites via secure networks. The result is heightened collaboration among healthcare teams, optimized workflow efficiency, and expedited diagnosis and treatment planning, ultimately culminating in enhanced patient care.
PACS system
In the development of our system we create a Simulated Hospital and Internal Orthanc - internal PACS system to communicate with the hospital. This directly translates to the real-world scenario of hospitals sending data and receiving results.
Orthanc: As an open-source, lightweight, and highly adaptable DICOM server solution, Orthanc serves as a pivotal facilitator for medical imaging data management. It furnishes a framework for the storage, retrieval, and distribution of medical images in compliance with the DICOM standard. Renowned for its reliability, scalability, and ease of integration with various medical imaging devices and healthcare information systems, Orthanc presents a versatile solution adaptable to the unique requirements of diverse healthcare environments.