Emerging technology in imaging
Emerging Technology in Imaging
This month our Account Manager Q&A session is with Ben Sullivan!
Q. Why do some new ultrasound systems appear not to have a focal point marker or focal point control?
Q. I’ve seen numerous handheld systems come on to the market recently, some not much bigger than a smartphone; are they any good?
A. In short, yes! Incredibly so, in fact. It is important to note that they have been designed with a specific purpose in mind. Namely, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), and the flexibility they offer is, frankly, stunning. Typically, they offer two or more transducer options. Either by virtue of interchangeable ‘heads’, or being ‘double-ended’, with different transducer types on each end. Wireless transmission of image data to a smart device (phone, tablet, etc.) enables viewing anywhere, and image quality is surprisingly good. They wouldn’t replace a traditional high-end system, certainly, but in the context of the relatively recent rise in popularity of POCUS, they are something of a game-changer. Light, portable, robust, low-cost, and high-quality, I suspect it won’t be long before they’re as ubiquitous and indispensable as a stethoscope.
Canine spleen and pancreas, GE VScan Air
Canine intussusception, GE VScan Air
Canine kidney, GE Vscan Air
Equine SDFT & DDFT, GE Vscan Air
Equine medial trochlear ridge (stifle), GE Vscan Air
Equine spleen, GE Vscan AirQ. There’s a huge amount of fuss in the media at the moment surrounding large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT – is AI going to play a role in veterinary imaging?
A. Undoubtedly and resoundingly, yes! LLMs represent just a small part of what artificial intelligence technologies can achieve. In general terms, machine learning – a sub-discipline of artificial intelligence – lends itself to image recognition in all its guises, and medical image analysis is an active area of research for such technologies. Strict governance of where and how these tools are deployed will be a critical facet of their future use in practice, but there is no doubt that, deployed correctly, they will bring myriad benefits to veterinary imaging.
Moreover, it’s not just image analysis that is a target for AI researchers: to use the LLM example, tools such as ChatGPT/GPT 4 could, for example, make accurate transcribing of clinical notes a largely automated process, occurring in real time as the consultation progresses. Workflow optimisation techniques may reduce wasted time at just about every stage of the working day. AI tools embedded in imaging systems are likely to play an increasingly active role in image optimisation and ‘knobology’. In fact, ironically, the list of potential use cases seems limited only by our imaginations!
Q. We still send images to our clients by taking a photo of the ultrasound machine or X-ray processor screen on our phones – surely there’s a better way?
A. YES! Let’s be honest, image archiving is not the glamorous side of veterinary imaging. Indeed, for most practices it’s seen as a boring, potentially expensive, and always tedious task. However, a good archiving setup can make life so much easier. The ability to store, back-up, and share images with practice staff, clients, and referral centres with the minimum of fuss can save a lot of time and stress, and serves to provide a secure record of what is, ultimately, a part of the clinical notes.
Historically the options have been limited, not least because slow internet connection speeds have meant that sending large DICOM files to a remote location have resulted in the only practical way to archive images in a PACS/VNA – the industry standard for imaging – being to install expensive server hardware on site. This is costly, technically challenging, and susceptible to catastrophic events at the practice site, such as fire or flooding.
In these days of fast internet connections speeds, cloud-based PACS solutions provide a simple, cost-effective, secure solution. And some now even allow near-real time transmission of images from imaging modalities to the storage solution. Even whilst out in the field, allowing a second opinion. From a hospital-based colleague whilst the vet is still on-site with the patient. Previous studies can be accessed from any device with a web browser, and referral of imaging studies for teleradiology is trivial. Watch this space – we are on the verge of a revolution in image archiving!