To put this into perspective, the headline is quite misleading, as "sound bites" usually are , the software was not developed for the iPod, it was developed for Mac workstations to create a high performance, low cost DICOM image viewer. The iPod capability is just a byproduct and dwarfs in comparison to what they have done on a G5.
I think the story was just focusing on a unique aspect of Osirix - the use of a portable music player to store medical images. I agree that the rest of Osirx is much more exciting - that's why I recommended a looks at the screenshots on their home page - just stunning! Wish we had had images like those when I was a medical student.
There is also an embryonic initiative to "port" OSIRIX to Linux. It is well worth going to Antoine's site and seeing what they have done...the most interesting thing IMHO is how they did it... using many off the shelf open source imaging components...the list is on their website. This made it possible for them to create an excellent application in a very short period of time and in the process engage many of the authors of the imaging components they used. This is one of the best example of what is possible when there is real synergy and collaboration.
Yes indeed.
> David Forslund wrote:
>>
Tim Churches wrote:
See http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/zd/20050105/tc_zd/142004
"Two radiologists recently developed open-source software, called OsiriX, to display and manipulate complex medical images on the popular portable devices called iPods. "
Check the screenshots on their homepage at http://homepage.mac.com/rossetantoine/osirix/Index2.html - wow!
I wonder how they address patient privacy issues when storing lots of images on oft-stolen iPods? Presumably the patient identifiers associated with the images, if not the images themselves, are encrypted?
This is not part of the Dicom specification. It could be done, but then the images wouldn't be Dicom conformant. But then the viewer isn't Dicom compliant either. Dave
Standards notwithstanding, encouraging people to carry fully identified but unprotected confidential medical information around on a device which is, I understand, a magnet for thieves doesn't seem very wise to me. But add some encryption of patient identifiers and it becomes a fabulous idea. I am sure the developers would have considered this, and perhaps encryption is already offered?
Tim C
