In this renewal, we propose a series of tools and experiments that systematically build on UNC-CH medical-image-display research and the FilmPlane prototype-medical-image workstation, to take workstation design beyond simply mimicking the two-dimensional viewbox, to that of allowing new image-accessing, image-visualizing, and image-measuring tools to be available quickly and smoothly to the radiologist and attending physician. These tools and medical-image-display techniques hold the potential, not only for improved clinician productivity, but also for significantly improved medical-image interpretation. The following steps are entailed: 1) A 3D Image Index will be designed, constructed, and experimentally compared with 2D image indexes, developed during the current grant. Workstation image-indexes are used by radiologists and attending physicians to locate and display images in the patient folder, reducing cognitive load and improving productivity. We hypothesis that a 3D index will be superior for non-radiologists. 2) Methods for relating information in more than one image will be developed and evaluated. On the one hand, an experiment will be conducted to determine whether sequentially viewing images during image-comparison is a viable alternative to simultaneous (side-by-side) viewing. Sequential viewing may improve the quality of image comparison, and will reduce workstation cost. On the other hand, new tools will be developed, integrated into the FilmPlane, and evaluated, that allow the radiologist to manipulate, compare, and-most importantly-visualize 2D and 3D MR Spectral images relative to anatomic properties measured by the ordinary proton image. 3) A 3D interactive tool for quickly and accurately measuring the volumes of anatomical objects, such as organs and tumors, will be developed and experimentally compared with manual measuring. Volume measuring is important not only for learning absolute size, but also for determining anatomical change, such as tumor growth.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 15 publications
