SCAR debuts new digital imaging publications

Oct 24, 2000

The Society for Computer Applications in Radiology (SCAR) continues to sharpen its educational focus with the publication of a new book and white paper. The book, called Security Issues in the Digital Medical Enterprise, will give readers of all knowledge levels the information they need to fully understand PACS security issues and requirements, according to the Great Falls, VA-based society.

Edited by Dr. Bruce Reiner, Dr. Eliot Siegel, and Dr. Sam Dwyer, the book expands on the SCAR University curriculum presented at the SCAR 2000 meeting last June. It features four levels of content: introductory, intermediate, advanced, and graduate.

The organization has also published a white paper on the use of irreversible compression as a means of storing and transmitting radiologic images. The author, Dr. Bradley Erickson, finds that irreversible compression does not result in visible image degradation or compromised diagnostic value.

The paper reviews the application of image compression techniques to medical imaging, focusing on irreversible methods, including the JPEG2000 standard. It includes a review of measures for evaluating compression algorithm performance, and some recent results for wavelet compression techniques.

Erickson concludes that using irreversible compression in everyday practice can significantly cut the cost of delivering radiology services by reducing the information infrastructure required to deliver and store images. Amid growing workloads and rapidly changing technologies, SCAR believes that radiologists must improve their understanding of compression techniques and their effects on images.

Both publications will be available for the first time at the SCAR booth at next month’s RSNA meeting. More information is available at the SCAR Web site, at www.scarnet.org.

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
October 25, 2000

Click here to view AuntMinnie's Discussion Group on PACS and information security.

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