Medical image quality monitoring and improvement system

1. A medical image quality reporting and monitoring system for use in a medical imaging system, comprising:

a medical image computer including,

a display processor configured to generate data representing an image for display including a user selectable image element enabling a user to identify at least one medical image as having an image quality deficiency and

a display configured to present said image;

a repository of a plurality of different pre-validated image quality profiles for a corresponding plurality of different types of image acquisition, an individual profile including a plurality of predetermined image processing settings and user-executed workflow actions for acquiring and post processing an image with optimal image quality characteristics;

an image processor configured to

anonymize a reduced quality image by removing patient identification data associated with said reduced quality image; and

use said pre-validated image quality profiles for automatically acquiring and processing an image to provide a comparison image in response to detection of selection of said user selectable image element; and

a report generator configured to, in response to detection of selection of said user selectable image element, identify at least one medical reduced quality image as having a particular image quality deficiency, automatically generate a report comprising,

data representing an anonymized reduced quality image having said particular image quality deficiency,

a time of acquisition of said reduced quality image,

imaging system acquisition settings used in acquiring said reduced quality image, and

a record of a sequence of user interface actions occurring preceding and related to acquisition of said reduced quality image.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein

said report comprises a problem description and system configuration settings.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein

said report comprises data representing a plurality of anonymized reduced quality images displayed on one or more display screens at the time of user selection of said user selectable image element.

4. The system according to claim 1 , the image processor further configured to export data representing the anonymized reduced quality image to a predetermined directory on the imaging system.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image processor initiates presentation of said comparison image adjacent to said at least one medical reduced quality image enabling a user to make a comparison.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image processor enables a user to select said settings as current settings for use in acquiring and processing images.

7. A medical image quality reporting and monitoring system for use in a medical imaging system, comprising:

a medical image computer including, a display processor for generating data representing an image for display including a user selectable image element enabling a user to identify at least one medical image as having an image quality deficiency and

a display for presenting said image a repository of a plurality of different pre-validated image quality profiles for a corresponding plurality of different types of image acquisition, an individual profile including a plurality of predetermined image processing settings and user-executed workflow actions for acquiring and post processing an image with optimal image quality characteristics: and an image processor configured to anonymize a reduced quality image by removing patient identification data associated with said reduced quality image and for using said pre-validated image quality profiles for automatically acquiring and processing an image to provide a comparison image in response to detection of selection of said user selectable image element and a report generator for, in response to detection of selection of said image element identifying at least one medical reduced quality image as having a particular image quality deficiency, automatically generating a report comprising, data representing an anonymized reduced quality image having

said image quality deficiency, a time of acquisition of said reduced quality image and

imaging system acquisition settings used in acquiring said reduced quality image and a record of a sequence of user interface actions occurring preceding and related to acquisition of said reduced quality image.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein

said image processor initiates presentation of said comparison image adjacent to said at least one medical reduced quality image enabling a user to make a comparison.

9. The system according to claim 7 , wherein

said image processor enables a user to select said settings as current settings for use in acquiring and processing images.

10. A method of medical image quality reporting and monitoring for use in a medical imaging system, comprising the activities of:

pre-validating image quality profiles for a corresponding plurality of different types of image acquisition, an individual profile including a plurality of predetermined image processing settings and user-executed workflow actions for acquiring and post processing an image with optimal image quality characteristics;

employing at least one computer for,

generating data representing an image for display including a user selectable image element enabling a user to identify at least one medical image as having an image quality deficiency;

anonymizing a reduced quality image by removing patient identification data associated with said reduced quality image;

in response to detection of selection of said image element, identifying at least one medical reduced quality image as having a particular image quality deficiency, automatically generating a report comprising,

data representing an anonymized reduced quality image having said particular image quality deficiency,

a time of acquisition of said reduced quality image,

imaging method acquisition settings used in acquiring said reduced quality image, and

a record of a sequence of user interface actions occurring preceding and related to acquisition of said reduced quality image; and

using said pre-validated image quality profiles for automatically acquiring and processing an image to provide a comparison image in response to detection of selection of said user selectable image element.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein

said report comprises a problem description and method configuration settings.

12. A medical image quality reporting and monitoring method for use in medical imaging, comprising the activities of:

employing at least computer for,

generating data representing an image for display including a user selectable image element enabling a user to identify at least one medical image as having an image quality deficiency storing in a repository a plurality of different pre-validated image quality profiles for a corresponding plurality of different types of image acquisition, an individual profile including a plurality of predetermined image processing settings and user-executed workflow actions for acquiring and post processing an image with optimal image quality characteristics

anonymizing a reduced quality image by removing patient identification data associated with said reduced quality image; and

using said predetermined image processing settings and user-executed workflow actions for automatically acquiring and processing an image to provide a comparison image for user review and in response to detection of selection of said user selectable image element

in response to detection of selection of said image element identifying at least one medical reduced quality image as having a particular image quality deficiency, automatically generating a report comprising, data representing an anonymized reduced quality image having said particular image quality deficiency,

a time of acquisition of said reduced quality image and

imaging method acquisition settings used in acquiring said reduced

quality image and a record of a sequence of user interface actions occurring preceding and related to acquisition of said reduced quality image.

13. The method according to claim 12 , including the activity of, initiating presentation of said comparison image adjacent to said at least one medical reduced quality image enabling a user to make a comparison.

14. The method according to claim 12 , including the activity of

enabling a user to select said settings as current settings for use in acquiring and processing images.

15. The system of claim 2 wherein said settings comprise two or more of a pixel shifting algorithm, an autopixelshift threshold, a vessel representation, a number of frames used to perform mask averaging for noise reduction, a pixel resolution, a pixel depth, an autowindow activation and range, a Gamma correction value, a vessel contrast, and a catheter contrast.