SBIR-STTR Award

CRT monitors are becoming an essential component of diagnostic medical imaging as electronic imaging replaces older technologies. There is a real need for routine quality assurance of these monitors to optimize image quality and allow for correct diagnoses. We propose to develop a portable hand-held quality assurance device for CRT monitors. The device will consist of a 12-bit CCD camera with a pan-and-tilt zoom lens for imaging the monitor, a portable laptop computer for image acquisition and data analysis, an adjustable shroud for making measurements with and without ambient lighting, and image analysis software. Measurements will be made using a display of the SMPTE pattern on the monitor being evaluated. This pattern allows for measurement of resolution, display function or gray scale, luminance and luminance uniformity, geometric distortions, temporal noise, temporal stability, spatial noise, and veiling glare. The prototype will be tested using three high-quality monitors that are calibrated by the University of Arizona Radiology Department. In Phase I, a prototype QA system will be designed, constructed and evaluated. In Phase II, a completely automatic hand-held device will be produced. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The CRT quality assurance device may very well become a required component in diagnostic medical imaging facilities because of the importance of obtaining quality images and knowing that image quality is not degrading with time. A reasonably priced QA device would find a market in hospitals and clinics. MedOptics already sells CCD cameras into this marketplace.

Thesaurus Terms:
biomedical equipment development, clinical biomedical equipment, diagnosis quality /standard, digital imaging, image processing, monitoring device, radiodiagnosis charge coupled device camera, computer data analysis, computer processing of clinical data, computer program /software, radiography bioengineering /biomedical engineering

The objective of this research plan is to develop, test, and produce an image quality assurance device utilizing the capabilities of a CCD camera for the purpose of providing reliable measurement of pertinent CRT performance parameters. The data collected and stored by the device predicts performance degradation for each clinically used CRT display. The software provided with the device allows the user to easily make the necessary measurements and receive immediate feedback on the quality of the monitor?s image display. With this capability, the device provides the necessary information to allow corrective measures to be taken before the clinical observer?s performance is adversely affected. The hand-held device is mobile and relatively inexpensive. All necessary software for its operation is packaged with the device itself. This tool is especially important for use by mammographers as they migrate to interpreting mammography cases on a computer screen, rather than on film. By assuring the fidelity of standard images regardless of a specific display device, the tool is most useful in a teleradiology or PACs environment. The device will be made commercially available. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Quality assurance tools are now commercially available (e.g., VeriLUM, developed by IMAGE Smiths, Inc, and described in the Appendix) for measuring luminance and chromaticity with inexpensive photometers. However, no such tools are available which use CCD cameras and allow the user to measure beam spot size or signal-to-noise ratios, or to calculate modulation transfer functions. This research project will design and produce such a quality assurance tool for the medical imaging community.

Public Health Relevance:
This Public Health Relevance is not available.

Thesaurus Terms:
Archive, Biomedical Equipment Development, Charge Coupled Device Camera, Diagnosis Quality /Standard, Digital Imaging, Image Enhancement, Image Processing, Monitoring Device, Portable Biomedical Equipment Clinical Biomedical Equipment, Computer Data Analysis, Computer Program /Software, Data Management, Mammography, Radiodiagnosis, Radiography Bioengineering /Biomedical Engineering