Picture
Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS)
The
technology - known as a picture archiving and communication
system, or PACS - essentially does away with film-based
prints of diagnostic images, and instead presents the
images and radiologist reports as computer files stored
on a centralized database. The system, which can be accessed
via the Internet using a PC, has numerous advantages over
old-fashioned film:
•
Images from diagnostic tests are available within minutes
and can be viewed on any computer connected to the hospital's
network, enabling physicians to more promptly make diagnoses
and begin treatment.
•
The problem of lost or misplaced films is eliminated because
all diagnostic images are stored on the centralized database.
This improves patient care and saves time, money and storage
space.
•
Diagnostic images can be viewed by several users at once,
allowing physicians in different locations to confer on
a case.
•
Digitally acquired images can be viewed in different ways
by adjusting contrast, magnification and other aspects.
This often allows more accurate diagnoses.
•
The need to repeat X-rays because of poor image quality
will be largely eliminated now that X-ray images will
be acquired digitally through a technology called computed
radiography.
Digital technology allows CT and MRI images to be rendered
as 3-D images, which enhances the representation of large
CT and MRI files that routinely contain several hundred
images. This capability makes it easier for physicians
to manage large amounts of imaging data.
