Image processing system, particularly for use with diagnostic images

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some or all of said operating units have a dedicated processor and a dedicated memory area, Which contains the code of a processing program incorporating the instructions for executing the operating functions of said operating units.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some or all of said operating units have a dedicated memory area, which contains the code of a processing program incorporating the instructions for executing said operating functions of said operating units, and which code is executed upon request by a central processing hardware unit.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes a central control system or agent which executes a logic system management program to coordinate specific remote client identification functions and to check service login codes, to charge service costs, to coordinate subunits for storing received image data, subunits for image processing, subunits for managing and updating the database that is used to train the processing algorithms, particularly the classification algorithms, and subunits for generating graphic and alphanumeric evaluation reports and for transmitting them or otherwise making them available to the remote clients.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central control system generates a database of cases to be processed, in which (ID codes) identification codes are used to univocally identify the remote client that transmitted the images and the specific case whereto the images are related, while automatically anonymizing said specific case and patient data.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data records to be processed include image data, imaging mode and imaging technique data, as well as patient's non-sensitive biological data (age, weight, sex, etc.) and historical data and relevant patient's anamnestic data.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the authorization means enable transmission or access by the processing subunits to the database of cases to be processed.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing subunits generate image processing output files to be transmitted to the central control system, which in turn has means for generating an output database catalog list of processed cases, in which each item is associated to an image processing output file related to such case.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central control system automatically generates a processing complete signal which is transmitted to the appropriate remote client/s by communication means.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing output files may be also integrally transmitted to the remote clients or the latter may be allowed to access the output database catalog list of processed cases.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central control system generates a preview file of processing results for client-specific cases in the output database catalog list, which allows each remote client to display the processed images and/or the processing data in alphanumeric form.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central control system has means for allowing remote clients to only select the processing results of specific cases and/or specific images of processed cases, and to request the transmission of full processing results relating to said specific selected images.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central control unit controls the processing management unit to start the subsystem for updating the training database for the image processing algorithms, which retrieves from the catalog of processed cases and from the catalog of final results with the gold standard, the cases that the clients authorized for inclusion in a training database updating program.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an authorization and processing cost debiting subunit, which determines the processing costs on the basis of the result files actually requested by the client.

A system as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of different image processing algorithms, each being specifically designed to process the image having a specific organ or a portion thereof or a specific anatomic region or a portion thereof as an object, and an automatic image recognition unit, which image recognition unit identifies the imaged organ or portion thereof or the imaged anatomic region or portion thereof and addresses the image to be processed to the algorithm of the plurality of processing algorithms, which is specifically designed to process images of the organ or the portion thereof or the anatomic region or the portion thereof which has been recognized by the image recognition unit.