Cloud Medical Study Aggregation for Low-Latency Image Viewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The latency issues in viewing large medical studies, such as CT scans, over high-speed internet connections due to the large size and number of high-resolution images, result in a poor user experience.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based system with an aggregator and retriever prioritizes the processing of image requests based on object type, importance, and metadata, routing high-priority objects through high-cost/high-performance paths and low-priority objects through low-cost/low-performance paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all images in a medical study are transferred to the user's device for viewing, then complete access to the study is achieved, but network bandwidth consumption increases and latency occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the medical study into multiple series and individual images, allowing selective transfer and viewing. The viewing application can request and display specific series or images on demand rather than transferring the entire study at once, reducing initial latency while maintaining complete access capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary actions by transferring metadata and study structure information before actual image data. The system prepares and sends study descriptors, series information, and image attributes first, enabling the viewing application to prepare for efficient subsequent image retrieval and display.
2Manufacturing precision
If high resolution medical images are transmitted over the network, then image quality is maintained, but transfer speed decreases due to large file sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different processing and transmission qualities for different parts of the study. Metadata and study structure are transmitted with high detail, while actual image data can be transmitted at optimized resolutions based on viewing requirements, preserving diagnostic quality where needed while improving overall transfer speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes transmission parameters dynamically based on study characteristics, device capabilities, and network conditions. Image resolution, compression level, and transfer format can be adjusted to balance quality and speed requirements for different medical imaging scenarios.
3Speed
If the entire medical study is cached locally for fast access, then viewing speed improves, but device storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the study data into metadata, study structure, and actual image data. Only essential metadata and study descriptors are cached locally for fast access, while full-resolution images remain in cloud storage and are retrieved on demand, reducing local storage requirements while maintaining quick access to study information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements partial caching by storing only the portion of the study data that is most frequently accessed or most critical for initial viewing. This partial action provides sufficient speed improvement for most use cases without requiring complete local storage of all high-resolution images.
Data Source
AI summary
In order to improve the transfer of studies to a viewing application through a network, a cloud-based system is provided that optimizes the performance of imaging workflows. A client side application receives requests from an image viewing application. If the study is stored locally, the study including objects, are provided to the viewing application locally. Otherwise, the request is provided to the cloud-based system. The cloud-based system may include two processing components, an aggregator, and a retriever. The aggregator may collect the metadata about the study and may provide the metadata to the viewing application. The aggregator receives request for objects (e.g. images) from the viewing application and may priority the retrieval and processing of the requests based on information about the object such as its type, importance, and the metadata associated with the study.