Problem:

We were asked to develop a 1394-based video capture system able to acquire analog video from diagnostic ultrasound machines and convert to Dicom compliant digital images. The resultant image loops are archived to cardiac PACS within the hospital and are available for later review by physicians.

Solution:

Our solution processes 1394 packets containing Huffman encoded DCT coefficient blocks, decodes them, performs color conversion, streams to disk, displays a preview image for review, and ultimately converts to Dicom imagery all in near-real time. In addition the system can acquire cardiac stress studies and synchronize to the qrs cycle to trigger acquisition. Our sophisticated multi-threaded architecture leverages optimized assembly and MMX commands in a C++ environment to acquire real-time 30Hz video, decode and stream to disk, archive to the PACS system. The custom GUI allows for study creation and management, system monitoring, image preview and selection. An automatic purge mechanism reclaims disk space if needed.

We also updated the companion review station to process and playback the cardiac audio acquired with doppler images in addition to many other features facilitating review of vascular images.

Results:

Hospitals find the UCS platform a cost-effective upgrade to existing legacy analog ultrasound systems extending the life of such systems, reducing capital costs; while providing physicians high-quality digital images necessary for life-critical diagnoses and collaboration over great distances on patient treatment plans.