Better ways to send CT Scan images faster from CT Console

 Always a confusion remains among new technicians while sending images from CT console to Radiologist Reporting Dashboard through internal or external PACS. Before quality report is ready, it is always important to have good communication between Radiologists and Technicians. Some CT technicians are trained over the period become quite smart in the trade. They are sought after as they do know what is required. They have ability to see the patient images and also on what could the radiologist might be interested in. After talking to CT technicians and radiologists together, we were able to understand optimization is the key. As per as images are concerned, communication and configuration is necessary. Following are few ways to do it.

1. CT  Sequences 

These are several angles to take CT images. These are called protocols. Every study has particular protocol as organs are not placed in the body in linear fashion. These are well researched  standards that technician should be aware of. Always ask the radiologist on particular (MRI or CT) sequences required for particular studies. Else the radiologist should always communicate with Technician on the nature of study and his requirements. Sometimes some sequences are not required for radiologists that can help the size of the Diacom folder to reduce down even below 100mb.

2.  CT Slices

CT machine come in the range of 1 slice to 1000+ slices these days. More the slice, more is the thin cut. The thin slices helps to know details of the tissue or organ. 
To get the clarity of the organ at micro-level, generally Radiologist demands thin slices. With more slices the Diacom Image folder becomes heavy.  Sometimes it could be even 1000 mb or even more. Therefore it becomes cumbersome to transfer the images of such case quickly  Radiologist want to make difference between two kinds of slices
1. Thick Slice : more than 5 mm 
2. Thin Slice : Generally less that 5 mm
In some studies, they do not need thin slices, only thick slices can be better used for study.

 3. Console Configuration

It is very important to keep the console configuration on compression mode. But we must ensure there has to be no data loss in doing so. The consoles these days provide Lossless compression. The technician or System Engineer while configuring the Nodes on Console,  to send the Images for a particular IP, must ensure the option is ticked. This is good for the areas where internet speed is an issue. .  

4.  One at a Time

Despite the arrangement on Console, one can send multiple studies in batches, it is advice to send single study at one time. This helps to optimize the transfer bandwidth. It should help to send image data quickly for the case which is FIFO (FIrst in First Out) for reporting.

If your CT technician is finding any problems with the protocol or slices or configuration and if he/she needs virtual training or sensitization,  TeleradiologyHUB Enablement Team is awake 24x7 for such diagnostic centers.  You can email them on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and get a call in 2-3 hours.