Purpose: Phantom trials using the PET data for localization of hot spots have demonstrated positional accuracies in the millimeter range. We wanted to perform biopsy based on information from both anatomic and functional imaging modalities, however we had a communication challenge. Despite the digital nature of DSM stereotactic X-ray mammography devices, and the large number of such devices in Radiology Departments (approximately 1600 in the US alone), we are not aware of any methods of connecting stereo units to other computers in the Radiology department. Methods: We implemented a local network between an external IBM PC (running Linux) and the Lorad Stereotactic Digital Spot Mammography PC (running DOS). The application used IP protocol on the parallel port, and could be run in the background on the LORAD PC without disrupting important clinical activities such as image acquisition or archiving. With this software application, users of the external PC could pull x-ray images on demand form the Load DSM computer. Results: X-ray images took about a minute to ship to the external PC for analysis or forwarding to other computers on the University's network. Using image fusion techniques we were able to designate locations of functional imaging features as the additional targets on the anatomic x-rays. These pseudo-features could then potentially be used to guide biopsy using the stereotactic gun stage on the Lorad camera. New Work to be Presented: A method of transferring and processing stereotactic x-ray mammography images to a functional PET workstation for implementing image-guided biopsy.

Date Published: 28 May 2001
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 4319, Medical Imaging 2001: Visualization, Display, and Image-Guided Procedures, (28 May 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.428040

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4319:
Medical Imaging 2001: Visualization, Display, and Image-Guided Procedures
Seong Ki Mun, Editor(s)