Trial of PACS employing magneto-optical disks

Takahiro KOZUKA2 and Nagaaki OHYAMA31College of Biomedical Technology, Osaka University,Toyonaka-city, Osaka, Japan 5602School of Medicine, Osaka University,Fukusima-ku, Osaka-city, Osaka, Japan 5533lmage Information Technology Laboratory, Tokyo Institute ofTechnology, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa, Japan 227ABSTRACTRewritable and compact media of magneto-optical disk (MOD) was firstly employedby us to store medical images such as digital X-ray films. The purpose is to testfunctions of communication media or circulating media as well as of filing media.Another feature of our trial system is to involve voice recording module fordiagnostic reports. Method of clinical application and development approach ofour PACS with MOD is discribed in this paper. Technology assessment of our systemis also briefly descussed in terms of cost-effectiveness and security problem.INTRODUCTIONApplication of WORM (Write Once, Read Many Times) type 12" optical disks to PACShas been developed in many places. On the other hand, 5.25" rewritable magneto-optical disks (MOD) have not yet been employed in PACS1'2. Advantages of 5.25"magneto-optical disks are rewritability, compactness, and enough time for us todetermine standard protocol for exchangeability of media. So, MOD has been verymuch expected to be a file media as well as communication media, in another word,circulating media.Stability and reliability of MOD in the field of PACS have been confirmed by ourexperimental system. Both two functions of file and communication were verified.On the other hand, radiological reports are also expected to be accompanied byimages from which the reports are pulled out. We have developed an experimentalsystem with MOD which involves voice recording module to realize such convenience.The block diagram and operation flow chart of our PACS are figured out, involvingMOD circulation flow chart. File structure of medical images together withdiagnostic report by voice recording is also described.Impact to the cost-effectiveness and security problem is also discussed, as apart of the medical technology assessment in PACS.1. TRENDS OF MAGNETO-OPTICAL DISKAt the last SPIE in 1989, magneto-optical disk (MOD) is briefly introduced withdifficult overwrite tolerance, but not with possibility of practical use1 .