Abstract
Although there are many softwares which can manage medical images, they do not support any tool for a decision making. Data warehousing technique is needed for it. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a system which can analyze medical images easily and trends of request. We developed a code table that classifies nuclear medical images and a database (DB) that includes informations of patients by downloading text data from a main server of Chonnam National University Hospital. The code was composed of eight numbers: First two numbers mean anatomical location, next two numbers mean diagnosis, fifth number means tested organ, next two numbers mean radiopharmaceuticals used, and the last number means imaging technique. Medical image DB was developed using Dr.Image (version 2.0, Bit Computer Co., Seoul, Korea). All the data was integrated and then we tested it using commercial softwares for personal computers. Review of all the images with same diagnosis was possible which increased confidence of physicians who read medical images. Trend analysis according to code, referring departments or doctors, and time was done. In summary, a mini data warehousing was developed using commercial softwares for the management of nuclear medicine images.