The study team sought to evaluate a CD import mechanism in a thin-client/server environment, studying 33 CD-ROMs with DICOM data from 33 patients. Two radiologists independently viewed the images -- first using the DICOM viewer embedded with the CD, and then using thin-client software (Visage Imaging, Andover, MA) to upload the images to a secure server.
While the success rate for the thin-client software was the same for viewing the studies, the thin-client method offered benefits such as significant improvement in the time it took to browse through image stacks. While it did take longer to n addition, the readers preferred the thin-client method in 80% and 93% of the cases, respectively, according to presenter Dr. Minal Jagtiani Sangwaiya, a visiting research fellow in radiology at MGH.
"Some thin-clients can upload DICOM images and archive these images, making them accessible in a secure manner within the firewall of our institution, and on a common viewing platform," she said. "This can positively affect the radiology workflow. However, further research is needed to improve the upload success rate of the thin-client, and the time taken for this upload."
