Cardiac Picture Archiving and Communication System

We will develop a method for digital storage and visualization of high quality full motion echocardimages. Phase I research will concentrate on prototyping the technology utilizing Motion Pictures Exalgorithms as applied to Cardiac Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS). The MPEG codingdeveloped primarily for storage of compressed video on digital storage media. Provisions were therefalgorithm to enable random access, fast forward, reverse searches and other features when decoding fmedia. Whereas a non-compressed digitized echo cardiography imaging would require a data rate of aboan MPEG coder may reduce the video rate to about 2-3 Mbits/sec without apparent loss of image qualitcardiography will allow for improved visualization, complete motion study archiving on digital removcommunication of full motion cardiac studies via Wide or Local Area Networks. We will develop a systMPEG image compression method that provides diagnostic quality images. During Phase I an experimentasystem will be integrated; image acquisition, playback and archiving algorithms for MPEG system willclinical data will be collected with the experimental system; statistical analysis of compressed datperformed.