Java-based remote viewing and processing of nuclear medicine images: Toward "the imaging department without walls"

In nuclear medicine practice, images often need to be reviewed and reports prepared from locations outside the department, usually in the form of hard copy. Although hard-copy images are simple and portable, they do not offer electronic data search and image manipulation capabilities. On the other h and, picture archiving and communication systems or dedicated workstations cannot be easily deployed at numerous locations. To solve this problem, we propose a Java-based remote viewing station (JaRViS) for the reading and re porting of nuclear medicine images using Internet browser technology. Metho ds: JaRViS interfaces to the clinical patient database of a nuclear medicin e workstation. All JaRViS software resides on a nuclear medicine department server. The contents of the clinical database can be searched by a browser interface after providing a password. Compressed images with the Java appl et and color lookup tables are downloaded on the client side. This paradigm does not require nuclear medicine software to reside on remote computers, which simplifies support and deployment of such a system. To enable versati le reporting of the images, color tables and thresholds can be interactivel y manipulated and images can be displayed in a variety of layouts. Image fi ltering, frame grouping (adding frames), and movie display are available. T omographic mode displays are supported, including gated SPECT Results: The time to display 14 lung perfusion images in 128 x 128 matrix together with the Java applet and color lookup tables over a V.90 modem is <1 min. SPECT and PET slice reorientation is interactive (<1 s). JaRViS could run on a Wi ndows 95/98/NT or a Macintosh platform with Netscape Communicator or Micros oft Internet Explorer. The performance of Java code for bilinear interpolat ion, cine display, and filtering approaches that of a standard imaging work station. Conclusion: It is feasible to set up a remote nuclear medicine vie wing station using Java and an Internet or intranet browser. Images can be made easily and cost-effectively available to referring physicians and ambu latory clinics within and outside of the hospital, providing a convenient a lternative to film media. We also find this system useful in home reporting of emergency procedures such as lung ventilation-perfusion scans or dynami c studies.