New tools target docs
Will radiologists become
techno-geeks
By Deborah R.
Dakins
New software development tools are making it easier to build advanced image
processing and viewing systems. While these products traditionally have been
intended for medical researchers and academics, advances in Web-based
technologies and programming languages could make them attractive to
radiologists interested in creating customized image-viewing templates.
For example, physicians and patients at Emory University are benefiting from
faster, more informed diagnoses via the Emory Cardiac Toolbox. Using Research
Systems’ Interactive Data Language software, Emory researchers developed
the system to provide physicians with a single analysis tool for reading cardiac
PET and SPECT studies. Using 3-D to display the patient’s heart, physicians
can see whether blood is flowing to all aspects of the myocardium and can better
determine a heart’s efficiency. [Fig. 1]
Software tools such as IDL and RhapsodyRx, a next-generation product suite
from Research Systems due out later this year, are also helping equipment
manufacturers bring their products to market more quickly and create a more
integrated viewing environment geared to the needs of multimodality users.
