Method and apparatus for independent display in a computer-aided detection system

1. An independent display system for a computer aided detection (CAD) system that analyzes medical images, the independent display system comprising:

an autoload logic to enable a technician to individually associate a plurality of CAD-processed digitized medical images with a corresponding plurality of lightbox buttons, the lightbox buttons being spatially arranged within a lightbox icon to reflect a physical arrangement of a plurality of lightboxes on which a plurality of film-based medical images from which said digitized medical images have been derived are placed;

an input mechanism to receive an image identifier for each of said film-based medical images during said individual associations;

a touch screen to display the digitized medical images including any marked regions of interest;

a plurality of icons to interact with the touch screen, such that the independent display system does not require a keyboard or cursor controller;

one of the plurality of icons including said lightbox icon, wherein one of the lightbox buttons is selected by a radiologist to bring up the digitized medical image corresponding to a currently examined one of the film-based medical images.

2. The independent display system of claim 1 , wherein the digitized medical images remains associated with the lightbox buttons on the lightbox icon, such that previous images are recalled by selecting the appropriate lightbox button.

3. The independent display system of claim 1 , wherein lightbox icon:

illustrates the independent display system positioned in proximity to said light boxes as represented by said lightbox buttons, reflecting an actual layout in a current location.

4. The independent display system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a layout logic to permit the user to alter the lightbox icon to correspond to an actual layout of the lightboxes in a current location during a set-up of the system.

5. The independent display system of claim 4 , further comprising:

a number of preset potential layouts among which the user can choose during said set-up of the system.

6. The independent display system of claim 5 , further comprising;

a programming logic permitting the user to create a customized layout indicator.

7. The independent display system of claim 1 , wherein the radiologist selects the lightbox being evaluated on the touch screen by touching the appropriate light box button, to call up said corresponding digitized medical image.