Dicompass blog

Significant changes in this version

• New tools and improvements of measurement functions – In this version, a tool for convenient measurement of Norberg angles is now available to use. The vertebra marking tool has also been updated – it can now be switched to marking mode in caudal or cranial direction. The length ratio measurement tool now offers the option to set which ratio value should be displayed (A:B, B:A, shorter:longer, longer: shorter). From this version, measurements are saved in the standardized DICOM Presentation State format. Measurements stored in DPGW can now be loaded and displayed in third-party viewers. Another benefit is that the saved measurement takes up almost no space in the PACS archive, unlike the saved copy of the image. The viewer can now be set so that if a measurement is found in the working set, it is automatically loaded to the original image.

• Auto/manual synchronization switching improvement – The viewer supports manual and automatic synchronization of displaying multiple series. Automatic synchronization is applicable for series that share the same coordinate system on the patient’s body, while manual synchronization is intended for the cases of different patient data input. With these synchronizations, there is always a choice whether to synchronize only the position of the displayed image or also the brightness window settings or display transformations (enlargement, shift, mirroring…). From this version on, the switches for these synchronization options are unified.

• Improvements and integration of other AI providers – We are not only continuously adding integrations with other AI providers of image analysis, but also improving existing integrations. As a part of the integration with Milvue, we have achieved a unique function where artificial intelligence facilitates the radiologist’s work by preparing distance and angle measurements in advance (especially on orthopedic images). These measurements can then be edited by the doctor in our viewer. We have successfully completed integrations with Qure.AI, Trask and Carebot.

Release information

• DPGW 0.41.12-REL released on June 2, 2022
• DPGW 0.41.13-REL released on June 10, 2022

Significant changes in this version

• Integration of AI artificial intelligence providers – data can now be sent directly from the DPGW environment for analysis via Artificial Intelligence (AI). The data can be sent with a single click in the viewer and the results will open in the viewer automatically when the analysis is completed. The data can also be sent according to autorouting rules so that the results are available as soon as the doctor first opens the image. The analyzed studies are automatically assigned labels, so that the exam can be filtered directly in the PACS according to the results of the analysis. In the viewer, the images with the findings are color-coded and the area with the findings is highlighted in them. These functions make it possible to use the capacity of radiologists more efficiently, but also to enable at least a preliminary evaluation of the image to be carried out when the current capacity of radiologists is exhausted

• Cloud – a multitenant environment – after more than a year of separate development, the versions intended for operation in the Cloud and for operation in the normal environment of the hospital were merged. It is now possible to run multiple separate PACS archives in one DPGW installation

Release information

• DPGW 0.40.08-REL released on March 23, 2022
• DPGW 0.40.09-REL released on March 23, 2022
• DPGW 0.40.10-REL released on March 24, 2022
• DPGW 0.40.11-REL released on March 28, 2022

Significant changes in this version

• Viewing bookmarks in the browser – a new function now allows to easily open more working sets and simply switch between them by clicking on the title of the bookmark

• Volume data segmentation support – by drawing an area in one of the basic projections, it is possible to remove an unwanted object from the volume data to easily hide the CT table, which distorts the MIP or VRT display. Segmentation can also be performed automatically based on density, for example by hiding bones in volume data

• CD VIEWER improvement – the image viewer that can be burned to a CD has several other improvements. These include for example automatic termination of the application when closing the window of the default web browser, as well as checking for duplicate launching of the application

• Image rendering optimization – owing to the availability of the new WebGL2 extension in Chromium-based browsers, we were able to implement a new display that uses data directly in the binary form in which it is loaded from DICOM images. Therefore, there is no need to convert any image data to a format that can be used directly by the graphics card. As a result, even on slower computers or computers with software emulation, the image display is even smoother than before

• HTTP / 2 support – HTTP / 2 is a new version of the protocol for communication with the web server from 2015 which eliminates a number of shortcomings of the HTTP 1.1 protocol from 1997. The protocol is binary and has less overhead so the transfer itself is a bit faster. The implementation in browsers strictly requires encryption and, in addition, individual requests are processed in a stream, so the protocol has a better response when retrieving a larger amount of data. However, the main advantage for DPGW is that all major browsers allow only 6 parallel data transfers from one site at a time when using HTTP 1.1, while when using HTTP / 2, up to 100 data transfers from one site can be processed at the same time. The version of the protocol is automatically agreed on by the parties, so if there is, for example, a proxy in your network infrastructure that does not know HTTP / 2, HTTP 1.1 will be used automatically

Release information

• DPGW 0.39.17-REL released on January 10, 2022

Significant changes in this version

• Significant optimization of browser loading and caching – after a number of optimizations in previous versions and thanks to a continuous increase in performance and speed of connectivity of end stations, it turned out that the actual HTTP compression performed high speed networks (> 200 Mbps) decreases in speed rather than increases. Now compression is also performed when caching the browser on the server. As a result of this, the cache now holds about 60% more data and the data output is significantly faster at the same time

• Improved loading and playback of ultrasound loops – until this version, the browser decompressed each frame when loading multiframe images (most pronounced on cardio ultrasounds), which in the case of loops containing several thousand frames called for high memory requirements of the target station or in case of decompression a large amount of data was transferred to the server. However, images with JPEG baseline transfer are now played directly in the native format, allowing smooth playback on a 100 Mbps network and a significant reduction in hardware requirements

• End of Internet Explorer support – after half a year since the notification, this version ends support of Internet Explorer. In addition to security considerations, leaving support for this browser allows us to take advantage of more modern technologies and thus add browser features that we have not been able to implement before. The end of support of this browser has also been announced by its manufacturer Microsoft. If you still use this browser, do not hesitate to install free Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or start using Microsoft Edge browser, which you probably already have installed on your Windows computer

• Next steps in increasing security – our software regularly undergoes security penetration tests. We carefully analyze the test results and resolve any complaints. Not only thanks to the above-mentioned termination of support for the outdated Internet Explorer browser, we are moving further and further in the area of security and resistance against possible attacks

Release information

• DPGW 0.38.05-REL released on October 5, 2021

• Ability to set a flag for a study – it is now possible to set status for each study – e.g. “for second reading”, “closed”, etc. Each study can have more of these labels assigned to it and they then can be easily filtered and searched through

• Support for printing from Windows applications directly to PACS – the new tool allows user to select printing to a virtual PDF printer in any specialized application on the Windows operating system and automatically transfer this created PDF to PACS among other patient image documentation

• New browser extension – the new extension allows, in addition to the original options for automatic placement of windows on other monitors, to determine the status of RAM usage and optimize the loading of images in the browser, while also offering support for printing of PDF to PACS as described in the previous point. The free extension can be found in the Chrome Store

• Configuration of displaying OSD labels – for individual labels it is possible to change colors and font size, thus allowing the user to display important information more distinctively to speed up orientation

• Change of the mouse cursor according to selected tool – user can now easily tell which tool is being used by changing the mouse cursor

• Separate automatic synchronization in different view planes – the browser has so far allowed synchronization in only one view so if the user viewed for example 4 series, two in the transverse plane and two in the frontal one, automatic synchronization always worked in only one of the pairs of series. Individual planes are now synchronized separately

• Convenient browsing of Hanging Protocol phases – newly defined keyboard shortcuts allow user to scroll through the individual views defined in Hanging Protocol

• Display of the finding on the clinical monitor – it is possible to display the finding for examinations outside the diagnostic monitor and if the appropriate service is configured, it is possible to display a symptom for those who have the finding created directly in the list of studies

Release information

• DPGW 0.37.02-REL released on September 16, 2021
• DPGW 0.37.04-REL released on September 21, 2021
• DPGW 0.37.05-REL released on September 29, 2021

• Left + right mouse button tool – until now it was possible to have three different tools configured for each mouse button. Now it is possible to have another additional tool assigned to it which is activated when the left and right mouse buttons are pressed at the same time. This saves time when switching to another tool and thus speeds up user’s work in general

• Windowing in DVR (VRT) – in the 3D volume view, it is now possible to set the window of interest in Hounsfield units, which are displayed in the image. In addition, the window can be defined by several transfer functions: start function, sigmoid, rectangular function or Gaussian function

• Worklists changed to study level – after numerous user requests, the display of worklists has been changed to a display where a patient is no longer at the highest level but an examination is

Release information

• DPGW 0.36.08-REL released on July 16, 2021
• DPGW 0.36.06-REL released on July 19, 2021
• DPGW 0.36.07-REL released on July 22, 2021
• DPGW 0.36.08-REL released on July 27, 2021
• DPGW 0.36.10-REL released on August 2, 2021
• DPGW 0.36.11-REL released on September 8, 2021
• DPGW 0.36.13-REL released on September 21, 2021

Significant changes in this version

• XDS.b support – support of IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise) RAD-68 profile, which allows registration of all medical records (in case of PACS the registration of image examinations) in a central register of documents. The integration supports work with the MPI (Master Patient Index), thanks to which a consistency in patient identification can be achieved across all systems used in a given healthcare facility

• Service for automatic DICOMization of files from a shared folder – if there is a device (e.g. ECG) that cannot produce data in DICOM format but produces for example PDF or JPEG files that contain patient identification in the file name, it is possible to use automatic services that, using a shared folder, automatically convert these files to DICOM format and save them to PACS

• Contour interpolation in RTSTRUCT – starting with this version, it is not necessary to draw a contour in each section to mark a 3D volume. Instead, a contour can be drawn only in some sections and interpolation of those drawn contours can be used for other sections. It is possible to interpolate even during the drawing from the last drawn contour to the freshly drawn one, or it is possible to additionally select two sections between which the interpolation can be done

• Acceleration of data loading into a browser running on obsolete servers – if DPGW was for some reason installed on an older server that did not have a battery-backed cache controller, image caching was slow because it always waited for physical confirmation of data writing on the disk (so-called fsync). Unlike PACS data, where the use of fsync is critically important for preventing possible data loss in the event of a “hard” server power outage, this confirmation is not necessary for temporary buffered data. Data that is now stored in the archive waits for fsync, data in temporary caches does not. The difference is insignificant on modern servers but on obsolete HW the acceleration is very significant

Release information

• DPGW 0.35.03-REL released on June 3, 2021
• DPGW 0.35.08-REL released on June 17, 2021
• DPGW 0.35.09-REL released on June 18, 2021
• DPGW 0.35.12-REL released on June 30, 2021
• DPGW 0.35.13-REL released on July 7, 2021
• DPGW 0.35.14-REL released on July 7, 2021
• DPGW 0.35.15-REL released on July 19, 2021
• DPGW 0.35.16-REL released on July 22, 2021

Significant changes in this version

• Enhancement of ECG viewing – it is now possible to choose between viewing ECG on a black or a white background. In addition to the signal enhancement settings, the “paper feed rate” can now be configured and all setting options can be saved to user settings and automatically applied to the next ECG viewing

• Loading Graphic Annotations from DICOM Presentation State – the browser now allows user to load graphic annotations from individual DICOM objects of the Presentation State class. An example of practical usage is viewing of automatic lung analysis of patients with COVID-19 which is performed by artificial intelligence

• New FadeMIP volume viewing – FadeMIP (FMIP) volume display differs from the classic MIP viewing which displays the highest density of the volume in each projection beam, so that linear attenuation is still applied to the displayed density according to the distance from the beginning of the displayed volume section (slab)

• Ability to block users from accessing patients other than those called from HIS – if the browser in integration with a hospital information system or other third-party application is used, it is now possible to allow users to access only the data of a patient which was opened directly from that application. Until now, it was possible to restrict access to only one specific examination. However, now it is possible to open one examination and allow the user to trace older examination of the currently opened patient at the same time

Release information

• DPGW 0.34.04-REL released on May 13, 2021

Significant changes in this version

• 3D volume measurement – The diagnostic version of the browser now, in addition to loading and displaying RTSTRUCT, allows you to draw volumes in individual sections and measure their volume, surface and average density. Volumes can now be marked in any volume CT picture

• Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) – Viewing enabling the application of a mask in angiographic images which makes it possible to achieve a significantly higher image contrast

• Improved viewing of working set – The working set in the browser now offers two display options. In addition to the existing one for displaying the examination of one patient, there is also a viewing that tries to maximize previews and at the same time display as much data as possible without the need to scroll.

• Possibility of using differently priced storages – For storing PACS data it is now possible to use differently priced storages within one installation. Therefore, it is possible to have working data stored in a high-speed storage, while older data can be stored in a cheaper slower storage. The scheduled service then automatically transfers data between these repositories outside the peak hours (e.g. at night)

• Generating of random Czech / English names for anonymization – In case of using anonymization so far, random combinations of letters have been generated for patient names. These however complicated orientation in a larger amount of anonymized data. The function of anonymization now offers the ability to generate random Czech or English names

Release information

• DPGW 0.33.04-REL released on April 14, 2021
• DPGW 0.33.06-REL released on April 19, 2021