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iMAGE cloud: medical image processing as a service for regional healthcare in a hybrid cloud environment

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Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

Objectives

To handle the emergence of the regional healthcare ecosystem, physicians and surgeons in various departments and healthcare institutions must process medical images securely, conveniently, and efficiently, and must integrate them with electronic medical records (EMRs). In this manuscript, we propose a software as a service (SaaS) cloud called the iMAGE cloud.

Methods

A three-layer hybrid cloud was created to provide medical image processing services in the smart city of Wuxi, China, in April 2015. In the first step, medical images and EMR data were received and integrated via the hybrid regional healthcare network. Then, traditional and advanced image processing functions were proposed and computed in a unified manner in the high-performance cloud units. Finally, the image processing results were delivered to regional users using the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technology. Security infrastructure was also taken into consideration.

Results

Integrated information query and many advanced medical image processing functions—such as coronary extraction, pulmonary reconstruction, vascular extraction, intelligent detection of pulmonary nodules, image fusion, and 3D printing—were available to local physicians and surgeons in various departments and healthcare institutions.

Conclusions

Implementation results indicate that the iMAGE cloud can provide convenient, efficient, compatible, and secure medical image processing services in regional healthcare networks. The iMAGE cloud has been proven to be valuable in applications in the regional healthcare system, and it could have a promising future in the healthcare system worldwide.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61300150), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20151106) and Science Foundation of Wuxi medical management center (No. YGZXZ1524).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information Center, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, No.200, Huihe Road, Wuxi, 214062, China

    Li Liu, Fengjuan Zhang & Ailing He

  2. Wuxi Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, Wuxi, 214023, China

    Weiping Chen

  3. AccuRad Healthcare Network Co.,Ltd. Xi’an, Ascendas Innovation Hub B, No.38 Gao Xin 6 Road, Xi’an Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, Xi’an, 710075, China

    Min Nie & Yu Wang

  4. Comprehensive Health Care Department, Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, 310006, China

    Xiaonan Wang

  5. Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, No.200, Huihe Road, Wuxi, 214062, China

    Gen Yan

Authors
  1. Li Liu
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  2. Weiping Chen
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  3. Min Nie
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  4. Fengjuan Zhang
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  5. Yu Wang
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  6. Ailing He
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  7. Xiaonan Wang
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  8. Gen Yan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gen Yan.

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The authors claimed no competing interest.

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Liu, L., Chen, W., Nie, M. et al. iMAGE cloud: medical image processing as a service for regional healthcare in a hybrid cloud environment. Environ Health Prev Med 21, 563–571 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-016-0582-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-016-0582-7

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