3D Slicer as an image computing platform for the Quantitative Imaging Network.

Purpose: The development of computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) methods for lung nodule detection, classification, and quantitative assessment can be facilitated through a well-characterized repository of computed tomography (CT) scans. The Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and Image Database Resource Initiative (IDRI) completed such a database, establishing a publicly available reference for the medical imaging research community. Initiated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), further advanced by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), and accompanied by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through active participation, this public-private partnership demonstrates the success of a consortium founded on a consensus-based process. Methods: Seven academic centers and eight medical imaging companies collaborated to identify, address, and resolve challenging organizational, technical, and clinical issues to provide a solid foundation for a robust database. The LIDC/IDRI Database contains 1018 cases, each of which includes images from a clinical thoracic CT scan and an associated XML file that records the results of a two-phase image annotation process performed by four experienced thoracic radiologists. In the initial blinded-read phase, each radiologist independently reviewed each CT scan and marked lesions belonging to one of three categories (" noduleâ�¥3 mm," " nodule<3 mm," and "non- noduleâ�¥3 mm "). In the subsequent unblinded-read phase, each radiologist independently reviewed their own marks along with the anonymized marks of the three other radiologists to render a final opinion. The goal of this process was to identify as completely as possible all lung nodules in each CT scan without requiring forced consensus. Results: The Database contains 7371 lesions marked "nodule" by at least one radiologist. 2669 of these lesions were marked " nodulâ�¥3 mm " by at least one radiologist, of which 928 (34.7) received such marks from all four radiologists. These 2669 lesions include nodule outlines and subjective nodule characteristic ratings. Conclusions: The LIDC/IDRI Database is expected to provide an essential medical imaging research resource to spur CAD development, validation, and dissemination in clinical practice. Â© 2011 U.S. Government.

/pdf/the-lung-image-database-consortium-lidc-and-image-database-2liy070dpe.pdf

The Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and Image Database Resource Initiative (IDRI): a completed reference database of lung nodules on CT scans.

https://www.rheumatic.theclinics.com/article/S0889-857X(08)00041-0/pdf

Epidemiology of Osteoarthritis

http://disciplinas.stoa.usp.br/pluginfile.php/166516/mod_resource/content/1/Radiomics.pdf

Radiomics: the process and the challenges

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability and its incidence is rising due to increasing obesity and an ageing population. Risk factors can be divided into person-level factors, such as age, sex, obesity, genetics, race/ethnicity and diet, and joint-level factors including injury, malalignment and abnormal loading of the joints. The interaction of these risk factors is complex and provides a challenge to the managing physician. The purpose of this review is to illustrate how each of these factors interact together to instigate incident OA as well as to outline the need for ongoing epidemiologic studies for the future prevention of both incident and progressive OA. It is only by understanding the impact of this disease and the modifiable risk factors that we will be able to truly target public health prevention interventions appropriately.

The epidemiology of osteoarthritis

Objective

Varus and valgus malalignment increase the risk of medial and lateral osteoarthritis (OA) progression, respectively. The impact of a mechanical factor such as alignment depends not only on the factor itself, but also on the state of the joint. The less-damaged joint of mild OA may be less vulnerable to malalignment effects than the more-damaged joint of moderate OA. Our goal was to explore the impact of alignment on subsequent progression of knee OA according to the baseline stage of disease.



Methods

Two hundred thirty patients with knee OA (defined by the presence of osteophytes and symptoms) recruited from the community underwent assessment of both lower limbs at baseline and at an 18-month followup. Alignment was measured on a full-limb radiograph as the angle made by the intersection of the femoral and tibial mechanical axes. Compartment-specific progression was defined as an increase between baseline and 18 months in the grade of severity of joint space narrowing on radiographs of semiflexed knees taken after fluoroscopic confirmation of position. Knees were grouped according to their baseline stage of OA as Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) grades 0–1, 2, or 3. Progression odds ratios were estimated from logistic regression using generalized estimating equations.



Results

There were 377 K/L grade 0–3 knees in 230 subjects (173 women and 57 men, mean age 64.0 years, mean body mass index 30.4 kg/m2) in this longitudinal study. In knees with mild OA (K/L grade 2), the odds of 18-month progression in the medial compartment were significantly increased 4-fold by varus alignment at baseline. In K/L grade 2 knees, the odds of lateral progression were increased 2-fold by valgus alignment (approaching significance). In knees with moderate OA (K/L grade 3), the risk of progression was comparably increased by varus or valgus alignment (10-fold).



Conclusion

While some effect of malalignment was suggested at almost all stages of knee OA examined, the impact of varus or valgus malalignment on the odds of OA progression over the ensuing 18 months was greater in knees with moderate (K/L grade 3) OA at baseline, possibly due to greater joint vulnerability with some contribution from slightly more severe malalignment.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/art.10530

The influence of alignment on risk of knee osteoarthritis progression according to baseline stage of disease

The goals and current efforts of the Radiological Society of North America Radiology Reporting Committee are described. The committee's charter provides an opportunity to improve the organization, content, readability, and usefulness of the radiology report and to advance the efficiency and effectiveness of the reporting process.

/pdf/toward-best-practices-in-radiology-reporting-489glsmwcr.pdf

Toward best practices in radiology reporting.

Image annotation and markup are at the core of medical interpretation in both the clinical and the research setting. Digital medical images are managed with the DICOM standard format. While DICOM contains a large amount of meta-data about whom, where, and how the image was acquired, DICOM says little about the content or meaning of the pixel data. An image annotation is the explanatory or descriptive information about the pixel data of an image that is generated by a human or machine observer. An image markup is the graphical symbols placed over the image to depict an annotation. While DICOM is the standard for medical image acquisition, manipulation, transmission, storage, and display, there are no standards for image annotation and markup. Many systems expect annotation to be reported verbally, while markups are stored in graphical overlays or proprietary formats. This makes it difficult to extract and compute with both of them. The goal of the Annotation and Image Markup (AIM) project is to develop a mechanism, for modeling, capturing, and serializing image annotation and markup data that can be adopted as a standard by the medical imaging community. The AIM project produces both human- and machine-readable artifacts. This paper describes the AIM information model, schemas, software libraries, and tools so as to prepare researchers and developers for their use of AIM.

/pdf/the-cabig-annotation-and-image-markup-project-4skkfzexh0.pdf

The caBIG™ Annotation and Image Markup Project

Recently, one of my friends, a computer wizard, paid me a visit As we were talking, I mentioned that I had recently installed a picture archiving and communication system and a radiology information system I told him how happy I was with the system and showed him a compact disk (CD) from it To my surprise, he threw it into my microwave oven and turned it on Instantly I got very upset, because the System had become precious to me, but he said, “Do not worry, it is unharmed” After a few minutes, he took the CD out, gave it to me and said, “Take a close look at it” To my surprise, the CD was quite cold to hold and it seemed to be heavier than before At first, I could not see anything, but on the inner edge of the central hole, I saw an inscription, an inscription finer than anything I had ever seen before The inscription shone piercingly bright, and yet remote, as if out of a great depth: 12413AEB2ED4FA5E6F7D78E78BEDE8209450920F923A40Eel0E50CC98D444AA08E324 “I cannot understand the fiery letters,” I 

/pdf/integrating-the-healthcare-enterprise-a-primer-11g8b9d7y1.pdf

Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise: A Primer

Does the subject of this series of articles intrigue you but you're not sure if the topics covered really apply to you and your practice? Before you read another word, go to the end of this introduction and seriously try to answer the questions posed there. If you answer "yes" to questions 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7, you need to read these articles.

David S. Channin

Papers

The influence of alignment on risk of knee osteoarthritis progression according to baseline stage of disease

Toward best practices in radiology reporting.

The caBIG™ Annotation and Image Markup Project

Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise: A Primer

Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise: a primer. Part 1. Introduction.