Automated Medical Scan Prioritization System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing volume of medical scans makes it difficult for medical professionals to promptly identify and prioritize time-sensitive and severe cases, leading to delays in treatment, as existing methods rely on manual and time-consuming reviews.
Innovation Solution
An automated system for analyzing medical scans, which includes modules for data acquisition, skull segmentation, atlas alignment, ventricle identification, midline shift detection, and queue management, to efficiently prioritize scans based on severity and time sensitivity, allowing for immediate review of critical cases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual review methods are used for medical scans, then medical professionals can review scans with attention and accuracy, but the review process becomes time-consuming and cannot keep up with increasing scan volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the medical scan review process into two distinct phases: an automated preliminary analysis phase that performs initial assessment and prioritization, and a manual professional review phase that focuses on detailed examination of prioritized cases. This segmentation allows the system to handle high volumes of scans efficiently while maintaining review accuracy for critical cases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated analysis system as an intermediary between scan acquisition and professional review. This intermediary performs preliminary processing, generates priority scores, and organizes scans before they reach medical professionals, thereby reducing the time burden on reviewers while preserving their ability to accurately assess critical cases.
2Ease of operation
If all medical scans are reviewed in order of arrival, then the review process is simple to manage, but time-sensitive and severe cases may be delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing automated analysis and priority assessment on scans before they are placed in the review queue. The system evaluates scan characteristics, identifies potential abnormalities, and assigns priority scores in advance, allowing the queue to be organized by clinical urgency rather than arrival time without requiring complex manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the organizing parameter of the review queue from temporal (arrival time) to clinical priority (severity score). By transforming the queue management parameter from a simple chronological order to a medically-relevant priority metric, the system ensures that time-sensitive cases are reviewed promptly while maintaining operational simplicity through automated scoring.
3Productivity
If automated analysis is implemented for all scans, then review time is reduced and throughput increases, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the automated analysis into modular functional components that perform specific tasks (prioritization, abnormality detection, measurement) rather than a single complex system attempting to do everything. This modular architecture increases productivity through automation while managing system complexity through clear separation of functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by designing the automated analysis system to handle routine assessment tasks independently without requiring constant human intervention or complex coordination. The system autonomously performs preliminary analysis, generates priority scores, and organizes queues, thereby increasing throughput while keeping the operational complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure herein provides methods, systems, and devices for automated reorientation and/or analysis of medical scans and/or images. The methods, systems, and devices for automated analysis of medical scans can be configured to mark, score, grade, and/other otherwise classify medical scans that are more time-sensitive, severe, and/or the like to allow a medical professional reviewing and/or analyzing medical scans to view and/or analyze such scans more efficiently by using a common image orientation and/or taking into account knowledge of the risk of severity, time-sensitiveness, and/or other priority.