Automatic digital ultrasound image acquisition and networking

A system developed on a PC and a VAX host automatically acquires clinical images and patient data from a standard ultrasound unit and transfers them to a digital picture archiving and communications system (PACS) network for storage and display. Normal clinical exam procedures are observed and the digital system is user transparent. The PACS uses an Ethernet network, optical-disk storage and multiple-image viewing stations. A frame-grabber is used to capture the ultrasound analog video output signal and an additional digital circuit is used to monitor signals from the attached film camera. One advanced feature is the use of character-recognition algorithms to extract patient data from the image.<>