Report viewer using radiological descriptors

A report viewer comprising a processor configured to perform the acts of:

• opening a structured medical report that describes radiological images using descriptors selected from a predefined list of descriptors, wherein the descriptors of the structured medical report describe a first lesion and the descriptors comprise an imaging modality of at least one of the radiological images that include the described first lesion and the descriptors comprise an anatomical location of the described first lesion;
• and
• in response to the opening act, performing the further acts of:
• searching for an unstructured further report of a prior study of the same patient related to the descriptors of the structured medical report,
• wherein the search matches keywords translated with an ontology from the descriptors of the structured medical report and an interpretation of one or more interpretations obtained from free text of the unstructured further report,
• wherein the free text of the unstructured further report includes sentences and words in the sentences,
• wherein the interpretation includes a plurality of attributes obtained from the free text and describe a second lesion,
• wherein the plurality of attributes includes an anatomical position of the described second lesion and an imaging modality of the image that includes the described second lesion in the unstructured further report,
• wherein the matching of the search comprises matching the anatomical position and the imaging modality of the plurality of attributes of the described second lesion obtained from the free text of the unstructured report with the anatomical position and imaging modality of the keywords translated from the descriptors describing the described first lesion of the structured report,
• wherein the searching includes:
• determining a plurality of imaging modalities for the unstructured further report from headers in the free text of the unstructured further report;
• determining one imaging modality selected from the plurality of imaging modalities for at least one sentence from the free text in the unstructured further report;
• and
• mapping words comprising the at least one sentence from the free text in the unstructured further report to at least a second one of the plurality of attributes of the interpretation identified by the determined one imaging modality;
• and
• highlighting in the free text of the unstructured further report of a prior study of the same patient displayed on a display device at least one selected from a group comprising of the words in the sentences and the sentences of the one or more interpretations matched with keywords derived from the descriptors of the structured medical report.

A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, which, when executed by a processor of a computer causes the computer to:

• open a structured medical report describing one or more radiological images using descriptors selected from a predefined list of descriptors, wherein the descriptors of the structured medical report describe a first lesion and at least one descriptor includes an imaging modality of the one or more radiological images that include the described first lesion;
• and
• search for an unstructured further report of a prior study related to the descriptors of the structured medical report for a same patient,
• wherein the search matches keywords translated with an ontology from the descriptors of the structured medical report and an interpretation of one or more interpretations obtained from free text of the unstructured further report,
• wherein the free text of the unstructured further report includes sentences and words in the sentences,
• wherein the interpretation of the one or more interpretations includes a plurality of attributes obtained from the free text and describe a second lesion,
• wherein one attribute of the plurality of attributes includes an imaging modality of the image that includes the described second lesion in the unstructured further report,
• wherein the matching of the search comprises matching the imaging modality of the one attribute of the described second lesion obtained from the free text of the unstructured report with the imaging modality of the keyword translated from the at least one descriptor of the structured report,
• wherein the searching includes:
• determining, a plurality of imaging modalities for the unstructured further report from headers in the free text of the unstructured further report;
• determining one imaging modality selected from the plurality of imaging modalities for at least one sentence from the free text in the unstructured further report;
• and
• mapping words comprising the at least one sentence from the free text in the unstructured further report to at least a second one of the plurality of attributes of the interpretation identified by the determined one imaging modality;
• and
• highlight in the free text of the unstructured further report of a prior study displayed on a display device at least one selected from a group comprising of the words in the sentences and the sentences of the one or more interpretations matched with keywords derived from the used descriptors of the structured medical report.