| Popis: |
Contemporary health care is inconceivable without diagnostic imaging techniques. These range from very basic X-ray images to highly advanced techniques such as MRI and PET (to be discussed in more detail later). Many images have to be kept for later inspection. As an example we may think of the comparison between two images made before and after a particular therapy. At present most image storage is in the form of photographic copies, even if the original imaging system was inherently digital. It seems feasible to expect that in the near future images will be stored in a digital format. Several reasons make this assumption a likely one. A few advantages of digital storage are insensitivity to aging, simple copying facility, multi-site inspection facilities and reliable archiving and retrieval. However, it should be mentioned that the photographic image has a number of advantages as well. The resolution of the photographic image outperforms any digital display. Furthermore the photographic image is both a storage, a communication and a display medium alike. Still at a number of places researchers are working towards what is called a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) or, as it has been called more recently: image administration and communication system (IMACS). |
