Teleradiology

Teleradiology can consist of different types of modules, like:
- DICOM-send and query-retrieve between DICOM-compatible databases
- Websolution for the home-viewing, and for the distribution in the hospital
- DICOM-e-mail technology for groups or networks of hospitals
- Mobile radiology, becoming more and more thinkable.

Pansys aims at using, when possible, the same software and the same hardware for together the teleradiology by any of the ways described above, the diagnostic reporting based on optimal viewing tools, and the archiving either local or central..

For instance, the Chili software groups, through several modules, those features of teleradiology, webdistribution, diagnostic viewing, and archiving.
It even allows the cooperative work (interactive teleconferencing) between a webuser (most often a clinician) and a user of the diagnostic application (most often a radiologist).

Such an architecture
• improves the diagnosis (complete viewing tools, opportunity of second opinion)
• enhances the workflow (stop to the archivation mass, stop to the interferences in the imaging departments)
• reduces the costs (shorter hospitalization time of the patients thanks to a quicker diagnosis, less transportations of patients, stop to the removals of radiologists during the night and week-end duties, better sharing of the imaging resources, cost-savings about films).

Demographic data included in the image files, such as patient name, date of birth, identification number, type of examination, date, series number, etc., are stored in the patient database.

Special encryption programs protect all personal data.

Security

The security concept of the software is in accordance with the requirements of data privacy of the German law (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG), with the regulations of the German Federal Bureau of Information Technology Security (BSI) and with the techniques of data security defined by the European Commission in the IT Security Manual.

The safety level of the software exceeds the existing standards, and preserves the handling, the transfer and the storage of the data from the risks of external insight, of intentional or unintentional modification, or of external falsification.

Flexibility

The acquisition is automatic and requires no intervention.

Specific rules can be configured regarding the duration of the storage, the possible compressions or deletions, the rights of access, the addition of text or of other data.

Multiple formats can be used without need of any interface.

Additional software components can be added as plug-ins.

Independence

The software is independent of
• the operating system. The client stations can use either Windows or Linux as operating system
• the hardware. All standard computers suit, but the viewing stations require >2 GHz of CPU, and >512MB of RAM
• the network. The TCP/IP standard is used in all WAN/LAN environments.
• the equipment. The software deals with several interfaces (HL7…) and with several formats (ACR-NEMA1 or 2, DICOM 3, including their multiple interpretations stemming from all the major manufacturers…)

Efficiency

Time-saving and cost-saving are provided by:
• intelligent exchanges between servers
• intelligent selectable compressions
• quick transmissions

Modularity

The software is very modular and can be delivered in various packages like:
• application standalone (mini-PACS)
• application client
• PACS and/or Web-server
• several components of teleradiology, of communication, and of integration with other subsystems

Teleconferencing

A cooperative session is possible, even between an application-user and a web-user. During such an interactive session or teleconference, all the tools of measurement, drawing and annotation, are synchronously shared between the cooperative partners.