Systems and methods for processing medical images using relevancy rules
A system and method for processing medical images using relevancy rules, the relevancy rules used for determining relevant studies for a plurality of clinical software applications. The relevancy rules may apply to the various aspects of study, series, and/or image metadata to determine whether prior images should be processed in an assembled matched set by the clinical application. The relevancy rules may further apply to metadata generated by the clinical software applications in association with the study, series, and/or image data or associated metadata.
1 . A computer-implemented method for processing a plurality of medical images from a plurality of enterprise imaging devices using a clinical software application, the method comprising:
receiving, using a network device of a plurality of network devices, from a first image device in the plurality of enterprise imaging devices, a current study for processing using the clinical software application collected by an image acquisition device at a first collection session, the current study comprising current study metadata and image data comprising pixel data of the plurality of medical images;
determining, by a processor in communication with the network device, that the current study is a matched current study in response to determining that one or more relevancy matching rules of the clinical software application matches the current study, wherein determining that the current study is a matched current study comprises, performing, by the processor, an analysis of one or more pixels from the plurality of medical images, wherein the one or more relevancy matching rules indicate a presence of additional specific relevant data for the processing of the current study using the clinical software application, the specific relevant data comprising at least one matched prior study;
determining, by the processor, that at least one prior study collected at a second collection session matches the matched current study, wherein the first collection session and the second collection session are different collection sessions, by:
sending, from the processor, to at least one of the plurality of enterprise imaging devices, a query for one or more candidate prior studies, each comprising candidate metadata and candidate pixel data;
receiving, at the processor, the one or more candidate prior studies from the at least one of the plurality of enterprise imaging devices; and
determining, by the processor, that the at least one prior study is the at least one matched prior study based on a result of applying the one or more relevancy matching rules of the clinical software application to the received one or more candidate prior studies;
generating, at the processor, an assembled matched study set comprising the matched current study and the at least one matched prior study;
retrieving, at the processor, electronic image data corresponding to the assembled matched study set from a data cache;
generating, by the processor, a processed study comprising processed electronic image data based on the assembled matched study set and the electronic image data corresponding to the assembled matched study set using the clinical software application;
determining, by the processor, one or more routing destinations based on assembled matched study set metadata and assembled matched study set pixel data associated with the assembled matched study set; and
sending, from the processor to the one or more routing destinations, the processed study.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the matched current study further comprises one or more matched image metadata portions, each of the one or more matched image metadata portions corresponding to an image in the current study;
the one or more relevancy matching rules perform pattern matching based on the current study metadata and the one or more matched image metadata portions;
one or more matched prior studies comprise one or more matched prior image metadata portions, each of the one or more matched prior image metadata portions corresponding to an image in the one or more matched prior studies; and
the one or more relevancy matching rules perform pattern matching based on the one or more candidate prior studies metadata and the one or more matched prior image metadata portions.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more relevancy matching rules comprise one or more matching metadata patterns.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the current study is received from at least one of a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) server or a Modality Worklist (MWL) server.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the current study is pushed to the processor from at least one of the PACS server, the Modality Worklist server, or a medical imaging device.
6 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising sending, from the processor, to the PACS server, a first polling request for a first new current study.
7 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising sending, from the processor, to the Modality Worklist server, a second polling request for a second new current study.
8 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the processed study comprises at least one of processed study metadata and processed study image data.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the current study metadata and the one or more matched prior image metadata portions are in one of a DICOM format and a HL7 format.
10 . A computer-implemented system for processing a plurality of medical images from a plurality of enterprise imaging devices using a clinical software application, the system comprising:
a memory;
a network device from a plurality of network devices;
a processor in communication with the memory and the network device, the processor configured to:
receive, at the network device, from a first image device in the plurality of enterprise imaging devices, a current study for processing using the clinical software application collected by an image acquisition device at a first collection session, the current study comprising current study metadata and image data comprising pixel data of the plurality of medical images;
determine that the current study is a matched current study in response to determining that one or more relevancy matching rules of the clinical software application matches the current study, wherein determining that the current study is a matched current study comprises, performing, by the processor, an analysis of one or more pixels from the plurality of medical images, wherein the one or more relevancy matching rules indicate a presence of additional specific relevant data for the processing of the current study using the clinical software application, the specific relevant data comprising at least one matched prior study;
determine that at least one prior study collected at a second collection session matches the matched current study, wherein the first collection session and the second collection session are different collection sessions, by:
sending, to at least one of the plurality of enterprise imaging devices, a query for one or more candidate prior studies each comprising candidate metadata and candidate pixel data;
receiving the one or more candidate prior studies from the at least one of the plurality of enterprise imaging devices; and
determining that the at least one prior study is the at least one matched prior study based on a result of applying the one or more relevancy matching rules of the clinical software application to the received one or more candidate prior studies;
generate an assembled matched study set comprising the matched current study and the at least one matched prior study;
retrieve, using the network device, electronic image data corresponding to the assembled matched study set from a data cache;
generate a processed study comprising processed electronic image data based on the assembled matched study set and the electronic image data corresponding to the assembled matched study set using the clinical software application;
determine one or more routing destinations based on assembled matched study set metadata and assembled matched study set pixel data associated with the assembled matched study set; and
send, from the network device to the one or more routing destinations, the processed study.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the matched current study further comprises one or more matched image metadata portions, each of the one or more matched image metadata portions corresponding to an image in the current study;
the one or more relevancy matching rules perform pattern matching based on the current study metadata and the one or more matched image metadata portions;
one or more matched prior studies comprise one or more matched prior image metadata portions, each of the one or more matched prior image metadata portions corresponding to an image in the one or more matched prior studies; and
the one or more relevancy matching rules perform pattern matching based on the one or more candidate prior studies metadata and the one or more matched prior image metadata portions.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more relevancy matching rules comprise one or more matching metadata patterns.
13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the current study is received from at least one of a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) server or a Modality Worklist server.
14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the current study is pushed to the processor from at least one of the PACS server, the Modality Worklist server, or an enterprise imaging device in the plurality of enterprise imaging devices.
15 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising sending, from the processor, to the PACS server, a first polling request, the first polling request for a first new current study.
16 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising sending, from the processor, to the Modality Worklist server, a second polling request for a second new current study.
17 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the processed study comprises at least one of processed study metadata and processed study image data.
18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the current study metadata and the one or more matched prior image metadata portions are in one of a DICOM format and a HL7 format.