Using PACS and wavelet-based image compression in a wide-area-network to support radiation therapy imaging applications for satellite hospitals

An ongoing PACS project at our facility has been expanded to include providing and managing images used for routine clinical operation of the department of radiation oncology. The intent of our investigation has been to enable our clinical radiotherapy service to enter the tele-medicine environment through the use of a PACS system initially implemented in the department of radiology. The backbone for the imaging network includes five CT and three MR scanners located across three imaging centers. A PC workstation in the department of radiation oncology was used to transmit CT images to a satellite facility located approximately 60 miles from the primary center. Chest CT images were used to analyze network transmission performance. Connectivity established between the primary department and satellite has fulfilled all image criteria required by the oncologist. Establishing the link to the oncologist at the satellite diminished bottlenecking of imaging related tasks at the primary facility due to physician absence. A 30:1 compression ratio using a wavelet-based algorithm provided clinically acceptable images treatment planning. Clinical radiotherapy images can be effectively managed in a wide-area-network to link satellite facilities to larger clinical centers.