Résumé
There is no
pathological CT atlas currently available within veterinary
medicine. There is therefore a need for such an atlas for
anyone working with this type of diagnostics, and is also my
conclusion after working extensively with CT over the last 4
years.
The atlas is saved
in digital format, facilitating browsing through the CT
series in a totally different way to using a paper-based
atlas. By being able to browse between images, the viewer is
able to see dynamic changes – something which is not
possible if only being able to look at one or two images
from a CT series.
A lot of emphasis
has been put on specialist aspects of the field, in that all
the patients have had diagnosis confirmed by pathology or
histology. Thanks to the help of many professionals at
universities and private clinics, it was possible to obtain
a total of 100 patients for the atlas.
The patients
selected give a good cross section of diagnostic
applications within small animal medicine for the use of CT.
We have tried to segregate the patients in the atlas as much
as possible to achieve representation for each area.
It was a challenge
to collect all the necessary patients, as in addition to the
CT images, we also wanted anamnesis and pathology/histology.
Each patient then had to be entered and presented in an
understandable and clear manner. The images used in the
atlas were selected as the 24 most descriptive from the
total CT series. This usually involves CT exposures taken
with contrast if used. Quantity, type and scan delay (the
time elapsed from giving contrast to scanning the patient)
is stated in each instance. Window interval (Hounsfield
interval) was selected as the best interval to view the area
concerned in the best possible way. Which interval was used
is stated under Imaging Comments. 3D and MPR (Multi-planar
reconstruction) are also stated to provide a better
overview and facilitate diagnosis. The DICOM files (raw data
images) can also be downloaded for processing in an image
processing program.
A major challenge encountered in the
project was designing and implementing a way to
present the patients. I have designed and programmed the
atlas myself in HTML, the programming language for internet
presentations, with the aim of being able to browse through
images and present patient data in a clear manner.
I hope the atlas
will be a valuable aid to anyone starting to use CT, and for
more experienced users of this type of diagnostics.
Jo Oeding Amundstad
- Bergen 01.01.2007 |