Abstract: A method of sending a medical data file from an external device to a computer system and storing the data file associated with a patient's identity, comprising: a) the computer system receiving information that a data file to be sent to the computer system from the external device (or from one of a set of external devices) is to be associated with the patient's identity; b) sending the data file from the external device to the computer system, with the data file identified as coming from the external device; c) the computer system finding the patient's identity from the identification of the image file as coming from the external device, and from the information that a data file to be associated with the patient's identity was to be sent from that external device; and d) the computer system storing the data file, associating the data file with the patient's identity.

Abstract: A method of enhancing a medical image including identifying at least one physical characteristic of a tissue portion based on a characteristic of a portion of the image and applying an image processing technique to the image portion chosen based on the at least one tissue characteristic.

Abstract: A method for reconstructuring a planar image slice in a CT scanner having a predetermined reconstrunction angle and including a detector array having n rows, n being an integer greater than 1, said method comprising: acquiring X-ray attentuation data from the detector array along a predetermined portion of a helical scan path in the vicinity of an axial position corresponding to the planar image slice, wherein the predetermined portion has an angular extent that is generally equal to the reconstruction angle; and processing the data to reconstruct an image of the slice, using data acquired substantially only along the predetermined portion of the scan path.

Abstract: A method for determining a time for acquiring contrast-enhanced images from a CT scanner of a subject into whom a contrast medium has been injected, the method including: identifying a region of interest in an initial CT image of the body of a subject; defining an attenuation data segment corresponding to the region of interest by reprojecting the region of interest in the initial image; receiving attenuation data within the segment from a subsequent scan of the patient; and independently processing the attenuation data received within the segment to estimate an optimal time for performing a diagnostic scan of the body, without reconstructing all or a portion of the CT image.