Workflow configuration and execution in medical imaging

A computer-implemented method of executing a medical imaging procedure on a patient, comprising the steps of:

• configuring an image capturing sequence as part of a workflow process containing a sequence of defined executable activities wherein each of said activities has at least one input connector and at least one output connector, each of said input and output connectors being associated with a data type, wherein links are created between input and output connectors of different activities only where associated data types of such activities are compatible with each other, wherein said workflow process is stored in a memory of a computer;
• configuring an image processing sequence as part of said workflow process;
• executing said image capturing sequence by executing said workflow process;
• executing said image processing sequence by executing said workflow process;
• detecting a modification of an activity in said sequence as a change in said stored workflow process in real time during execution of an executing instance of said workflow process;
• and
• re-executing only activities in said executing workflow process that are subsequent to said modified activity in said sequence, if said stored workflow process has been modified.

A workflow manager apparatus for carrying out a medical imaging procedure on a patient, comprising:

• at least one I/O device, said at least one I/O device capable of being used by an operator to communicate with said apparatus;
• a network interface capable of communicating over a distributed communication network with a plurality of devices used in said medical imaging procedure;
• a memory capable of storing a workflow template including a sequence of executable activities related to said medical imaging procedure wherein each of said activities has at least one input connector and at least one output connector, each of said input and output connectors being associated with a data type, wherein links are created between input and output connectors of different activities only where associated data types of such activities are compatible with each other, and a DICOM medical imaging protocol;
• and
• a CPU communicating with said at least one I/O device, said network interface, and said memory, with said CPU creating and storing a workflow template, filling out said workflow template with patient data to create a workflow, and executing said sequence of activities according to said workflow in response to inputs from said at least one I/O device.