Method and apparatus for automated quality assurance in medical imaging

A computer-implemented method for quality assurance in radiology, comprising:

• recording radiation exposure parameters from imaging studies using an imaging apparatus, and storing said exposure parameters in a database of a computer system;
• recording predetermined protocol parameters in said database;
• and
• cross-referencing said protocol and exposure parameters with clinical data on an individual patient, pertinent to examination indication, laboratory data, and diagnosis, in order to make a comparison and analysis with said imaging studies, to thereby improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce radiation exposure by minimizing additional and unnecessary imaging studies.

A computer-implemented method for quality assurance in radiology, comprising:

• performing a pre-scan of an anatomic region of a patient to create a pixel density map of said anatomic region, using said imaging apparatus;
• and
• performing a histogram analysis of a pixel density of said pixel density map to compute optimum radiation exposure parameters, including both image quality and radiation exposure dose;
• and
• storing said optimum exposure parameters in said database and utilizing said optimum exposure parameters before said imaging study is repeated, to improve at least image quality.

A computer system for quality assurance in radiology, comprising:

• at least one memory which contains at least one program having the steps of:
• retrieving quality assurance and exposure parameters from a database of a computer system;
• receiving information on technical variables, including radiation exposure parameters, from radiographic equipment in the performance of an imaging study on said individual patient;
• determining whether a cumulative exposure exceeds a predetermined threshold;
• and
• utilizing one of specialized relatively low-dose protocols, imaging examinations without ionizing radiation, and/or analysis of future imaging examination requests, when said cumulative exposure exceeds said predetermined threshold;
• and
• a processor for executing the program.

A computer system for quality assurance in radiology, comprising:

• at least one memory which contains at least one program having the steps of:
• recording radiation exposure parameters from imaging studies using an imaging apparatus, and storing said exposure parameters in a database of a computer system;
• recording predetermined protocol parameters in said database;
• and
• cross-referencing said protocol and exposure parameters with clinical data on an individual patient, pertinent to examination indication, laboratory data, and diagnosis, in order to make a comparison and analysis with said imaging studies, to thereby improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce radiation exposure by minimizing additional and unnecessary imaging studies;
• and
• a processor for executing the program.

A computer system for quality assurance in radiology, comprising:

• at least one memory which contains at least one program having the steps of:
• performing a pre-scan of an anatomic region of a patient to create a pixel density map of said anatomic region, using said imaging apparatus;
• and
• performing a histogram analysis of a pixel density of said pixel density map to compute optimum radiation exposure parameters, including both image quality and radiation exposure dose;
• and
• storing said optimum exposure parameters in said database and utilizing said optimum exposure parameters before said imaging study is repeated, to improve at least image quality;
• and
• a processor for executing the program.

A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to execute instructions of a program, the program comprising the steps of:

• retrieving quality assurance and exposure parameters from a database of a computer system;
• receiving information on technical variables, including radiation exposure parameters, from radiographic equipment in the performance of an imaging study on said individual patient;
• determining whether a cumulative exposure exceeds a predetermined threshold;
• and
• utilizing one of specialized relatively low-dose protocols, imaging examinations without ionizing radiation, and/or analysis of future imaging examination requests, when said cumulative exposure exceeds said predetermined threshold.

A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to execute instructions of a program, the program comprising the steps of:

• recording radiation exposure parameters from imaging studies using an imaging apparatus, and storing said exposure parameters in a database of a computer system;
• recording predetermined protocol parameters in said database;
• and
• cross-referencing said protocol and exposure parameters with clinical data on an individual patient, pertinent to examination indication, laboratory data, and diagnosis, in order to make a comparison and analysis with said imaging studies, to thereby improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce radiation exposure by minimizing additional and unnecessary imaging studies.

A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to execute instructions of a program, the program comprising the steps of:

• performing a pre-scan of an anatomic region of a patient to create a pixel density map of said anatomic region, using said imaging apparatus;
• and
• performing a histogram analysis of a pixel density of said pixel density map to compute optimum radiation exposure parameters, including both image quality and radiation exposure dose;
• and
• storing said optimum exposure parameters in said database and utilizing said optimum exposure parameters before said imaging study is repeated, to improve at least image quality.