Barco MXRT series graphics cards are designed to work seamlessly with Barco medical displays, ensuring optimal performance and compatibility. MXRT cards are engineered to handle the specific demands of PACS applications, providing smooth and lag-free operation. In contrast, general-purpose graphics cards like those from NVIDIA RTX series are primarily focused on gaming and professional graphics applications, which may not be fully optimized for the unique requirements of PACS applications.
High image quality is essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning in Radiology. Barco's MXRT graphics cards deliver accurate and consistent image quality, enabling better visualization of medical images in Barco monitors. MXRT cards support high-resolution and high-bit-depth displays, allowing radiologists to view images with more detail and better contrast. NVIDIA RTX series graphics cards, while powerful, may not be optimized for specific standards required in medical imaging applications.
Maintaining consistent image quality and compliance with medical standards like DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is critical in the Radiology. Barco graphics cards come with integrated hardware and software features that enable easy calibration and quality assurance for Barco diagnostic displays. This ensures that image quality remains consistent over time and meets the strict requirements of medical imaging applications. General-purpose graphics cards may not offer the same level of calibration and quality assurance capabilities. DICOM calibration on a Barco monitor paired with an MXRT graphics card is performed with higher precision and a reduced percentage of Just Noticeable Difference (JND) error, resulting in superior image quality.
Barco graphics cards provide dedicated support for PACS applications and radiology workstations. This ensures smooth operation and seamless integration with other medical equipment and software. Monitors.com offers a range of Barco MXRT graphics cards that cater to different medical imaging needs, ensuring compatibility and optimal performance. General-purpose graphics cards, on the other hand, may not be as well-suited for integration with specialized medical applications and equipment.
Barco offers specialized technical support for their MXRT graphics cards and diagnostic radiology displays, ensuring that users receive expert assistance when needed. Monitors.com complements this by providing a team of technical support engineers who can assist end users with the installation, configuration, and setup of their MXRT graphics cards and diagnostic displays. This level of support can be especially valuable in time-sensitive environments where reliable and efficient operation is crucial. In contrast, general-purpose graphics card manufacturers may not have the same level of expertise in medical imaging, which could result in slower resolution of issues or less effective support.
While NVIDIA graphics cards are powerful and versatile, they are primarily designed for general computing, gaming, and professional graphics applications. Using a Barco MXRT series graphics card with Barco PACS general radiology displays and Barco mammography displays ensures the best possible performance, image quality, and compatibility in a medical imaging context. By choosing a Barco MXRT card, you can have confidence in the reliability, accuracy, and efficiency of your reading station, ultimately benefiting both radiologists and patients. Monitors.com's dedicated team of technical support engineers is ready to help you achieve the best results with your PACS workstation setup. If you still have questions and need assistance on choosing the right graphics card, be sure to reach out to us via our contact form and one of our experienced engineers will gladly answer any questions you may have.
]]>Radiology has come a long way since its inception in the late 19th century. In the early days, X-ray technology was used primarily to detect broken bones and other injuries. Today, radiology encompasses a broad range of medical imaging technologies and techniques that are used to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions.
One of the biggest changes in radiology has been the shift from analog to digital imaging. Digital imaging has several advantages over analog imaging, including improved image quality, faster processing times, and the ability to store and transmit images electronically. This has led to the development of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), which allow radiologists to access images and patient data from anywhere at any time.
Another significant development in radiology has been the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms to assist with image interpretation. AI tools can help radiologists identify patterns and anomalies in images, which can improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce the risk of errors. Additionally, AI algorithms can be used to automate routine tasks, such as measuring tumors or tracking disease progression.
The future of radiology is likely to be shaped by further advancements in digital imaging and AI technology. New imaging modalities, such as molecular imaging and functional MRI, are expected to provide even more detailed and precise images of the human body. AI is also likely to play an increasingly important role in radiology, helping radiologists to make more accurate diagnoses and provide more personalized treatments for their patients.
]]>Enhanced Diagnostic Accuracy
One of the most notable ways AI is affecting radiologists' careers is by improving diagnostic accuracy. Machine learning algorithms can now analyze medical images with remarkable precision, often surpassing human capabilities. This increased accuracy benefits patients by reducing misdiagnoses and allows radiologists to focus on more complex cases, ultimately improving patient care and outcomes.
Streamlined Workflow
AI is also streamlining radiologists' workflows by automating time-consuming tasks. Image analysis, for example, can be expedited through AI-driven algorithms, allowing radiologists to review a larger number of images in a shorter amount of time. By reducing the workload and enabling radiologists to work more efficiently, AI is changing the nature of radiologists' day-to-day work.
Prioritizing Cases
AI's ability to identify critical findings in medical images helps radiologists prioritize cases that require immediate attention. By flagging urgent cases, AI ensures that patients receive timely care and reduces the likelihood of adverse outcomes. This new approach to case prioritization is reshaping how radiologists manage their workload and interact with patients and other healthcare professionals.
Continued Education and Skill Development
As AI continues to advance, radiologists must adapt by continually updating their knowledge and skills. To stay competitive in the field, radiologists must embrace AI technologies and be willing to learn new techniques and strategies. This has led to a growing emphasis on continued education and skill development, ensuring that radiologists are prepared for the rapidly evolving landscape of medical imaging.
Collaboration with AI
AI is not expected to replace radiologists entirely, but rather to serve as a powerful tool that complements their expertise. Radiologists will need to learn how to effectively collaborate with AI systems to harness their full potential. This collaboration will likely involve radiologists overseeing the work of AI algorithms, verifying their accuracy, and using their own expertise to make final diagnoses and treatment recommendations.
New Job Opportunities
The integration of AI in radiology is also creating new job opportunities for professionals who can bridge the gap between technology and medicine. These roles may include AI trainers, who teach algorithms to analyze medical images, and AI liaisons, who facilitate communication between radiologists and AI developers. The emergence of these new positions highlights the shifting landscape of the radiology field and the need for radiologists to be adaptable and open to change.
Ethical Considerations
As AI plays a larger role in radiology, ethical considerations come to the forefront. Issues such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and accountability must be addressed to ensure that AI is implemented responsibly and fairly. Radiologists will need to be involved in these discussions, advocating for ethical practices and contributing their expertise to shape the future of AI in medical imaging.work with AI algorithms to interpret data and make treatment decisions.
AI is undoubtedly transforming the field of radiology and reshaping radiologists' careers in various ways. As the technology continues to evolve, radiologists must adapt by embracing new tools, updating their skills, and navigating the ethical challenges that come with AI's integration. The future of medical imaging is bright, and the collaboration between radiologists and AI promises to revolutionize patient care, delivering more accurate diagnoses and improved outcomes for patients worldwide.
]]>There are ways to combat this sedentary dilemma for a Rad that, by its nature, requires prolonged screen time. Studies show that regular stretching can help reduce neck and shoulder pain. Plus, frequent breaks to stand and stretch increase productivity. Flexibility breaks allow your eyes to rest and your entire body to feel more comfortable.
The following are some stretches for radiologists when attempting to reduce prolonged sedentary time and stiffness. Hold each stretch for 10-15 seconds. Avoid any exercises that cause pain or discomfort.
Radiologists spend most of their time stooped forward at their reading station, so taking regular breaks to stretch your chest and shoulders is one of the best exercises to alleviate back tension and help with sitting up straight.
How to:
In either a sitting or standing position, put your arms behind you and hold your hands together with your fingers interlaced. Then straighten your arms and slowly lift your hands a few inches, or until you can’t lift them anymore. You should feel a stretch in your chest. Hold this for stretch for 10-15 seconds. It’s recommended to avoid this move if you have shoulder problems.
Reading images on a diagnostic monitor for long periods can cause shoulder and neck tension. The trapezius muscle is often tight with hunching because you don't notice how much extra weight your shoulders take on when typing or clicking away in front of a screen all day! Relieve tension from the shoulders and traps with shrugs.
How To:
Seated or standing, lift your shoulders towards your ears and squeeze them as far as possible for 1 to 2 seconds before relaxing and rolling your shoulders back and down to a resting position. Repeat this 8 to 10 times, then do the following again but roll the shoulders forward this time.
While shoulder shrugs will help get the circulation going, this upper back move will stretch all the muscles between the shoulder blades, traps, and shoulders. After stimulating blood circulation from shoulder shrugs, perform this upper back move to stretch all of the back muscles between the shoulder blades and the traps and shoulders.
How To:
Either sitting or standing, straighten your arms and stretch them out in front of you, rotating the hands, so your palms face away from each other. Form a twist by simply moving your arms together until they cross, pressing your palms together once crossed. If twisting the arms is uncomfortable, you can just lace the fingers together. Now contract the abs, round the back as if curving over an imaginary ball, and relax the head down while keeping your arms stretched out in front of you. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds.
Radiologists sit for long periods, which can cause the lower back to become tight and achy. Gently twisting the spine can help reduce that tension, but you don’t want to over-rotate this stretch: a little goes a long way.
How To:
Remain seated with feet flat on the floor. Contract the abs and slowly rotate the torso to the right. It may be helpful to leverage an armrest or the seat of a chair to deepen the stretch further. Remember your limits, and only twist as far as you comfortably can while keeping the back straight and hips square. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat the stretch on the other side as well.
Good posture is an essential part of maintaining a healthy back. Still, when you get lost in reading images, you may subconsciously slump back to a hunched position, causing unwanted backaches. With this easy move, you can prevent distracting back pain that helps stretch and loosen all the back, sides, and arms muscles.
How To:
Either sitting or standing, lace your fingers together and stretch your arms up and over your head, reaching toward the ceiling. Breathe deeply and stretch up as high as you can, feeling the back expand. Exhale while opening your arms and lowering them down. Repeat this stretch 8 to 10 times.
Forearms and wrists suffer a lot of wear from typing and clicking. This elementary move helps soothe the muscle tension and prevent repetitive soreness of the wrist and forearms.
How To:
Either seated or standing, stretch the right arm out with palms facing the floor. Press your left hand against the upper palm of your right hand and gently pull the fingers of your right hand towards you. You should feel a stretch in the forearm. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat on the other hand.
When working on a computer all day long, many of us drop our heads forward, putting extra tension on the neck. Heads can weigh up to 11 pounds, which can put an immense amount of stress on the relatively thin anatomy of the neck.
Weighing up to 11 pounds, the head can No Radiologist wants to feel the dreaded pangs of neck pain creeping in, especially when accompanied by headache and upper back tension. Neck stretches are great for relieving stress on your neck muscles and avoiding discomfort.
How To:
Remain seated for this stretch. Grab the side of your chair with the right hand and gently pull while tilting your head to the left. You should feel a stretch down the right side of the neck and shoulder. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
Even those with perfect posture can experience muscle tightness in the lower body due to sitting too much. We can understand how sitting causes tension by looking at the anatomy: the glutes stretch while the hip flexors are shortened when you sit. Stretching the hips alleviates tightness and gets you up and moving to offer some immediate relief.
How To:
Stand up and move the right leg back a few feet, bending the back knee like you’re doing a lunge. Lower both knees until you feel a stretch in the front of the right hip. Deepen the stretch by flexing the glutes of the back leg. Hold for 10-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Release the tension of a long day with this simple hip stretch. The hips and glutes are home to a complex series of muscles, making this stretch an excellent choice for targeting several muscle groups.
How To:
In a seated position, cross the right ankle over the left knee and straighten the back, sitting up tall. Keep your back straight, and gently lean forward until you feel a stretch in the right glute and hip. Deepen the stretch further by pushing down on the right knee. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds, and repeat on the other side. Please remember to avoid this move if it causes pain in the knees.
Building on the previous stretch, this variation is geared towards the inner thighs, hips, and groin and targets unwanted lower body tightness.
How To:
Sitting down, position the legs wide, toes pointing out, and lean forward while resting your elbows on the thighs. Keep your spine straight and abs contracted, and gently lean forward while pushing the thighs out with your elbows until you feel a stretch in the inner thighs. Hold for 10-30 seconds and repeat as many times as is needed.
]]>Ergonomics is a big deal to productivity for a radiologist, so you must take the time and effort to create your own comfortable space. The first thing we often neglect when starting our workday is ergonomic considerations; specifically, what effects will lighting have on my readings? How am I sitting right now? Is the desk height correct for me, or does it need adjusting? There are many things to consider, both short-term and long-term, but they can all be taken care of by being mindful about how comfortable you are in your space.
Nothing makes you want to toss your keyboard across the room than opening a case that takes forever to load. Save yourself the pain and ensure you have a good, reliable internet connection. Preferably, always connect via ethernet wired connection instead of wi-fi because it is typically three times faster. You should only use wi-fi if there is no possibility to make a wire connection to your workstation. Have family members who like hogging the bandwidth with online streaming services and games? Make sure to make arrangements to leave enough room for you to work with access to sufficient bandwidth.
Accessing cloud PACS is easier than ever, but it can still be tricky. The IT department at your hospital or imaging center will know exactly how you must access images remotely while working from home. Make sure that images are transferred safely and securely by using a hardware VPN (Virtual Private Network). A hardware VPN is configured within your router, and it is always on. It is more reliable than software VPN, which may get disconnected frequently, and establishing the connection may be required each time you restart your workstation. A reliable VPN connection allows more fluent processing of large images, which can help you fortify your reading workflow.
A diagnostic display is necessary to interpret diagnostic images at home without sacrificing quality or accessibility. International guidelines describe many requirements that need to be met for viewing and reading images reliably. We have a plethora of displays that meet ACR and FDA standards! Read our article on how to choose the right diagnostic display monitor and workstation so you can learn more about all the different options and differences between them.
Medical diagnostic monitors make use of built-in front sensors to perform calibration and compliance tests. Without one, you will need an external USB sensor that accomplishes this task in addition to compensating for environmental changes and tracking calibration measurements over the lifetime of your equipment. Setting up the schedule on your QC software to perform these tasks regularly will ensure the highest level of diagnostic accuracy and legal compliance. IT departments in a hospital typically handle these processes, but if you are an independent radiologist or working from home, you may be responsible for compliance with your diagnostic monitors. You can always reach out to Monitors.com’s technical support, and we will assist you with configuring your calibration and compliance software for you.
It is important to keep your physical health strong. We can feel stiff muscles and stinging eyes when we work for long hours, which is bound to be distracting and uncomfortable when you’re trying to do your reading, and always remember to drink enough water! Set the alarm to take a break to avoid physical discomforts such as stiff muscles or stinging eyes. A little exercise will help you stretch out those tight muscles while getting your blood flowing again.
Mammograms can be challenging to read because evidence of breast cancers—subtle masses and calcifications, and slight changes in tissue density—can often blend into surrounding healthy tissue. As radiologists can attest, dense breast tissue appears white on a mammogram—but, unfortunately, so do cancers. The denser the patient’s breast tissue naturally is, the greater the challenge in identifying these indicators. Abnormalities need to be clearly visible to achieve earlier diagnoses and better patient outcomes.
As with all imaging modalities, the effectiveness of mammograms comes down to image quality and what radiologists are able to see.
Alongside display brightness, screen resolution is the most important factor influencing the quality of breast images, the ability for radiologists to detect subtle abnormalities earlier in the development of medical conditions, and the accuracy of diagnostic interpretation. Screen resolution impacts the sharpness and clarity of the image and, therefore, how many minute details can be seen.
What is resolution, exactly?
Resolution is defined in megapixels. A single megapixel represents one million pixels. To break it down, a pixel is simply the smallest part of an image—one dot. When combined, all the millions of individual pixels in an image form a complete picture. You can calculate total megapixels by multiplying the number of individual vertical pixels by the number of individual horizontal pixels, and then dividing that figure by one million.
Remember: The higher the resolution, the more elements are contained within an image and the more details are visible on the screen.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) and other industry organizations around the world recommend that the resolution of mammography displays should closely—if not precisely—match the resolution of the imaging system that captured the image under analysis. Because the resolution of breast imaging is so high, radiologists need at least 5MP—five million pixels—to reproduce them accurately on a screen and be able to view them 1:1, or at 100%, in full resolution.
If the mammography display lacks sufficient resolution, which means that there are more elements in the breast image than available pixels on the screen, radiologists have to manipulate the image to view it at full-size resolution. This could involve panning, zooming, scaling, or windowing to achieve the best view of an image for analysis. This takes up a lot of time for radiologists. And, in the process, critical details within the image could be lost, which would have a negative impact on radiologists’ decisions and, ultimately, patient care.
But with a mammography display that’s 5MP per screen or higher, radiologists can fit more of the mammogram within the display and see more detail with little to no image manipulation necessary. For radiologists who study about 40 images per day on average, this saves time and increases productivity.
Mammography displays that meet these requirements also provide ergonomic benefits that enhance radiologists’ comfort and ability to read images for longer periods.
Clearly, higher-resolution mammography displays lead to more accurate diagnoses at earlier stages of disease progression, improve patient care and health outcomes, and enable a more comfortable, productive reading experience for radiologists. For these reasons, industry groups such as the ACR have set guidelines recommending displays of 5MP or higher.
But radiologists are also required by law to read cases on equipment that meets certain minimum standards. Alongside other region-specific laws passed by governments around the world, one of the most prominent and stringent pieces of legislation is the MQSA.
Passed by Congress in 1992 and overseen and enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the MQSA establishes standards for image presentation on monitor screens. Part of this law mandates that each monitor in the typical dual-head display set-up have a screen size of 21 inches and a resolution of 5MP. (If you opt for a single fusion display, these monitors go up to 12MP and have screen sizes between 30 to 33 inches.)
Additionally, the MQSA requires mammography display monitors to undergo strict quality-assurance (QA) tests by qualified medical physicists as part of regular FDA inspections of mammography facilities. These QA tests focus on screen resolution, brightness, and contrast, and require that minimum standards for each be present in mammography display monitors. Facilities must preserve the test results.
]]>As the name implies, COTS monitors are intended for office automation, to display documents to appear like a printed page. Therefore, performance attributes are weighted heavily to being as bright as possible so that text is easily resolved with minimal eyestrain.
Commercial displays attain maximum luminance long before the graphic card input reaches its maximum input value. Remember that a typical graphics card can display 256 different input values, each representing a distinct piece of valuable diagnostic information. COTS monitors have been observed to max out on brightness at an input value as low as 200, which means that values 201 to 255 are mapped to the same luminance value. As a result, 20 percent of all the data is cropped or simply eliminated.
By contrast, medical-grade monitors are calibrated to map each individual distinct pixel into something you can detect rather than following the natural response of a graphics card output. Unfortunately, it’s normal for the natural COTS monitor response—uncorrected to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard—to yield the same luminance value (measured) for multiple sequential values. For example, flat spots in the response curve are especially obvious in the low range of input values, such as the first 160 of 256 values.
What’s the impact of a flat response? Let’s take, as an example with a COTS monitor, the pixel values of 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105. These could be mapped into a single luminance value on the screen. If a patient has a slight nodule, which would otherwise be identified by a difference in input value between 102 and 105, it will disappear on a COTS monitor because there is no distinction between these values on the screen. Note: Since the majority of the clinical information from imaging modalities is in the lower 50 percent of the luminance range, this means that these pixel values are in the most critical areas in which the ability to resolve pixels at different luminance values is compromised.
In conclusion, the potential to miss critical diagnostic information both at high luminance and because of flat spots in the response is the most important reason to not even consider a COTS monitor. The first requirement for diagnostic display monitors is to insist on a monitor that’s calibrated to the DICOM standard, which truly maps each of the different pixel values into a luminance value on the screen that’s detectable to the human eye as noticeably different. It’s best to have the manufacturer calibrate the monitor to enable optimal mapping of the three RGB channels into the DICOM-compliant curve.
The maximum light output of a monitor is specified using the unit of candela per square meter (cd/m2). A good-quality commercial display can achieve 300 cd/m2, sometimes more if you’re lucky. This maximum value of 300 cd/m2 is at the low end of what any medical-grade monitor can achieve—these might be able to go up to 2000 cd/m2 or higher.
Why do we need this much luminance? When a display is calibrated to DICOM, a percentage of the response is lost in the mapping process. At 300 cd/m2 and after applying DICOM corrections, the maximum luminance value can be expected to decrease by about 10 to 20 percent.
The human eye has a 250:1 contrast ratio at the ambient conditions of the viewing environment. Assuming the commercial display was DICOM compliant with aftermarket software, the luminance ratio of the display and the eye would be very close. However, ambient light detracts from the ability to see low-contrast information. This particular example would need to be in a low-light room to achieve a 250:1 luminance ratio that accounts for ambient light.
Diagnostic displays operate between 400 and 600 cd/m2, as corrected to DICOM, with reserve luminance potential for extended life at those levels. Even if a monitor is calibrated, if there aren’t enough points in which to map the pixel data, you clip off part of the information. For example, if you want to map 256 grayscale pixel values but you have only 200 points available, you’ll lose that information.
The required dynamic range depends on where you use the monitor. The lighter and brighter the room light, the more information you’ll lose in the dark because you simply won’t be able to distinguish details. There’s a simple fix for this. Calibration takes into account the room light and maps the lowest pixel value into something you can detect. The whole range is shifted, which is important when using it in a light area such as an ER or ICU.
Also, it’s beneficial to have some slack at the dynamic range, which medical monitors provide because the light source of the monitor will decrease over time. Therefore, the maximum brightness to facilitate mapping the whole data range should be about 350 cd/m2, assuming you use the monitor in a dark environment. If you use it in a bright area or if you want to ensure you have some slack to facilitate the decrease of monitor output over a period of several years, you might want to opt for a maximum luminance of 450 to 500 cd/m2.
With COTS monitors, the light output of a monitor varies as the temperature needs to stabilize for about 30 to 60 minutes after the equipment’s turned on. You can leave the monitor on day and night, or switch it on automatically one hour before use. However, either method will drastically reduce the lifetime of the monitor.
High-quality medical-grade monitors typically have a built-in feedback mechanism that measures light output and adjusts the electrical current to the light source to create the same output.
Therefore, the third requirement is to have a medical-grade monitor with a light output stabilizer.
Why are these records so critical? Two words: Liability reduction.
Using a medical-grade monitor and, as a result, being able to continually measure and adjust values on the monitor and record these incidences of calibration, help you do your job properly on an ongoing basis and provide an umbrella of protection over your professional career. Using a COTS monitor simply exposes you, your livelihood, and the money you’ve invested in your medical education and career to too much risk.
In addition, you need access to these records on a regular basis, regardless, to ensure that the monitor is still operating within the acceptable range. Many radiologists seem to replace their monitors after five years or so. If the monitor is still within calibration, there’s no reason to do that.
Therefore, the fourth requirement for a medical-grade monitor is to make sure that you can retrieve and store calibration records.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) provides recommendations for medical monitors as a standard and baseline for image-display performance. They are somewhat technical and, in our opinion, not worded strongly enough.
Also, most manufacturers of medical-grade monitors are FDA approved, which is actually only a requirement if you’re reading digital mammography. If your monitor meets the ACR requirements referenced above, you should be OK—but FDA approval doesn’t hurt. You can check the FDA website and look up monitor manufacturers to confirm if they’ve been approved. All medical displays offered by Monitors.com are FDA approved for medical use.
The fifth (optional) requirement is to be FDA approved.
In addition to being able to see all of the grayscale, which is characterized by the contrast resolution, you also need to be able to distinguish between the different pixels.
For example, let’s take a typical computed radiography (CR) chest image, which may have a matrix size of 2,000 x 2,500 pixels. This results in five million pixels, or 5MP. The standard configuration for a diagnostic monitor to look at medical images is 3MP because a physician has the capability to zoom or use an electric loupe to see a one-to-one mapping of each image pixel element on the screen.
One could argue that you can use a 2MP monitor as well. Yes, that’s correct as long as you realize that it will take more time to interpret images and make a diagnosis. If you’re cost-sensitive, a 2MP configuration will do. But, assuming your time is more valuable than the cost of the monitor, the sixth requirement is to have a 3MP monitor configuration for general radiology reading where CR cases are being interpreted.
Yes, diagnostic display technology of at least 3MP costs more than their lower-resolution counterparts and certainly commercial displays. Even if you’re cost-sensitive about monitors, look at it this way:
As you know, radiologists get paid per case they read. Diagnostic monitors of at least 3MP give you more detail within the image and reduce zooming, panning, and time spent focusing on a particular area. If you can read faster and more comfortably, and with more confidence, how much more money can you be earning? How many more cases could you read with the extra time you save each day? Isn’t it possible that the diagnostic display monitor—the superior albeit more expensive technology—pays for itself pretty quickly? Is it worth it to spend more on the best-quality image?
Simply put, a medical-grade monitor is a professional tool that delivers professional results. Chief among these results are improving diagnostic accuracy and timeliness—what your reputation is based on. But being able to increase your earning potential is certainly attractive, too.
Does this mean that you can’t use a COTS monitor? It depends.
It’s up to you.
But we would think twice about it—especially as the price difference between a good-quality medical-grade monitor and commercial-grade monitors is not that great, compared with the overall cost of a picture archiving and communication system (PACS), to justify the risks.
Interested in buying a diagnostic display monitor? Now that you understand why you need this superior technology, please review the wide selection of general radiology and mammography displays from Monitors.com.
]]>Although it may appear, superficially, that consumer-grade display technologies have closed the gap, the answer to whether there’s still a meaningful difference is a resounding yes.
Here’s a simple, less technical explanation for why higher-end, higher-cost medical-grade displays are superior in diagnostic applications, and why your hospital or radiology practice should choose them:
What’s best for patients is paramount.
Consumer-grade displays are intended for a wide variety of applications in our everyday lives and standard office environments—in other words, activities that don’t require the best visualization capabilities and highest level of detail.
However, medical-grade displays were designed and built specifically for the clinical environment—where quality, consistency, and accuracy are, literally, matters of life and death. For radiologists, their work is all about what they can see, so the smallest details have to be visible. Radiologists’ interpretations impact courses of treatment. Sub-standard technology can result in misdiagnoses and have a negative effect on patient outcomes. Way too much is at stake to gamble on a consumer-grade product that was never intended for diagnostic applications.
Standard consumer monitors simply don’t offer a high enough screen resolution to see critical anatomical details. The higher the number of pixels, the sharper, crisper, clearer, and more detailed the image is.
Additionally, no panning or zooming in and out is necessary, which saves radiologists time when interpreting images.
In consumer monitors, which weren’t designed for such a high degree of precision, it’s expected that variances in the amount of light emanating from LCD monitors can cause inconsistencies in how images are presented by anywhere from 25 to 35 percent. This means that some parts of the screen could appear well lit while other areas look dim. If a user turned up the brightness level as an attempted fix, the grayscale would become washed out and visualization would worsen.
In diagnostic applications, that’s unacceptable. It’s important that images are presented consistently over time across individual screens, entire displays, and even enterprises—in any location, from remote teleradiology workstations to various sites within multi-hospital systems—so radiologists don’t miss any crucial detail. That’s why medical-grade displays have integrated quality-assurance tools such as uniform luminance technology (ULT), which improve the consistency of brightness levels and enhance grayscale presentation.
Consumer monitors aren’t calibrated to digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) standards for brightness and contrast. (DICOM standards dictate how images must be presented on medical displays.) Nor do they meet the growing body of medical standards and regulations from Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), or the American College of Radiology (ACR), to name a few.
Users of consumer-grade technology in a medical environment have to manually calibrate the monitors and frequently check on their status. This is not only an unnecessary distraction for radiologists, but also time consuming and introduces the possibility for human error. And, if the consumer display doesn’t have the range to view images properly and the means to maintain consistency, these instabilities can invalidate calibration efforts and cause detail in the images to be lost.
Medical-grade displays are calibrated to DICOM standards and comply other medical standards and regulations. Using front-of-screen sensors and other quality-assurance tools, they automatically make real-time adjustments to compensate for external conditions. These displays also have the capability to store and track calibration measurements over the lifetime of the equipment. These records can serve as a useful defense in the event of a legal dispute.
This gives radiologists more confidence that they’re operating in compliance 24/7 and producing accurate diagnoses based on best image quality.
A consumer-grade display may have a lower upfront expense, but the cost of technology is never just about the initial investment. There’s also the cost of ongoing maintenance and repairs, more frequent replacement, and, possibly, additional equipment.
Medical-grade displays cost more to obtain because they incorporate the latest and greatest technology. This includes higher-quality components and features that not only improve image quality but also make them more durable, such as light stabilization and their innate heat resistance. They also are able to maintain calibration with DICOM and other standards. For these reasons, medical displays typically have a life span that’s up to four times longer than their consumer-grade counterparts.
Furthermore, medical displays are compatible with medical workstations out of the box and don’t require additional costs to become fully operational. Many of these displays also enable multi-modality imaging on a single screen, eliminating the need to purchase several monitors per desk.
The superior performance and longevity of medical displays quickly negates any perceived cost savings of consumer displays. Actually, they will be less expensive and have a higher return on investment over the long term.
In most cases, manufacturers of medical-grade displays provide longer, more competitive warranties than manufacturers of consumer products—usually up to five years.
]]>However, choosing the optimal medical display monitor for your needs and budget can be a daunting task. There are many makes and models available at varying resolutions, screen sizes, and price points.
The display that you ultimately select can significantly improve patient care and long-term outcomes. By delivering a sharp, full-resolution image that visualizes even the most subtle abnormalities, radiologists can diagnose medical conditions earlier and more accurately.
Your new display can also have a positive impact on radiologists' workflow. The correct display setup can help a radiologist interpret images faster and more comfortably—with little to no image manipulation necessary, which means fewer clicks, less eye strain, and less overall head, hand, and eye movement. Time-consuming distractions, such as manual calibration, will also be a nuisance of the past.
Additionally, before choosing a diagnostic display, it's essential to consider the purchase's financial burden in light of your short-term and long-term business plans.
This discussion centers on everything you need to consider when identifying the optimal diagnostic display monitor.
There are three primary resolutions—measured in megapixels (MP)—for radiologists to consider when choosing a diagnostic display monitor: 2MP, 3MP, and 5MP. All these options are available in both grayscale and color.
Diagnostic monitors are also available in single fusion displays in these resolutions: 4MP, 6MP, and 12MP.
Typically, a radiologist who reads X-Ray, magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound (US) studies would consider 3MP displays as recommended by the American College of Radiology (ACR). 5MP displays are required by law for reading mammography studies, but they can also read general radiology cases. A typical dual-head setup consists of two 21-inch displays with an aspect ratio of 3:4.
Fusion displays are essentially a dual-head setup combined into a single large screen. You can configure a fusion 6MP monitor as a single display (3280 x 2048 pixels) or two 3MP monitors (1536 x 2048 pixels x 2). The screen size on a fusion display is often between 30 to 33 inches, depending on resolution and the model, with an aspect ratio of 16:10 on 6MP fusion and 3:2 on 12MP mammography fusion displays.
With a fusion monitor, you would still run two video signal cables (DVI or DisplayPort) from your graphics card to the monitor. In this scenario, your picture archiving and communications system (PACS) workstation detects it as a 2 x 3MP monitor under the operating system's display settings.
It's a question we get asked often: What's the difference between LCD and LED monitors? The reality is, it's not an either/or choice. All diagnostic monitors are liquid crystal display (LCD) and manufactured with either LED or CCFL backlight technology as the light source behind the LCD panel.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) is simply the light source behind LCD panels. Previously, manufacturers used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) as the light source behind LCD panels. With technology advances, LED has become the preferred, obvious choice.
Why?
If LED backlight displays are within your budget, we recommend them over CCFL displays.
Both options deliver benefits worth considering. That's why we recommend that you choose the system you're more comfortable with.
Fusion displays have a few advantages that give them the upper hand compared to a dual-head setup.
The main advantage of a dual-head setup is redundancy. In the event of one monitor's failure, you can continue using the second display until a replacement display becomes available.
A few years ago, color displays had no chance of competing with their grayscale counterparts because of their limited brightness and contrast, and therefore lower-quality grayscale image. This has changed significantly within the last few years as manufacturers have allocated most of their R & D resources to improve color display technology.
Today, color displays have the upper hand and produce grayscale images at a higher quality than most grayscale monitors in the market. Eventually, grayscale monitors will be phased out, and all diagnostic display monitors will be offered in color only.
If you're considering a renewed option, grayscale monitors are a hot, in-demand choice for radiologists. With a lower price tag and excellent grayscale quality, they deliver great value.
Suppose color monitors are within your budget, and you're investing in a long-term solution. In that case, we highly recommend considering color diagnostic display monitors because of their versatility and better resale value.
Color displays provide important reading advantages:
Diagnostic display monitors are typically equipped with both DVI and DisplayPort. You can use either option to connect the display to your display controller card (graphics card).
Most modern graphics cards are equipped with either DisplayPort (DP) or Mini DisplayPort (miniDP). If your monitor's inputs are DVI and you happen to have a graphics card with DisplayPort output, then a simple DisplayPort to DVI adapter can adequately convert the signal for you. All monitors purchased from Monitors.com are bundled with the appropriate graphics card, software, drivers, cables, and all necessary adapters. No additional purchases are required to connect your monitors to your display controller. This information may be necessary in an event where you would like to use your own graphics card or graphics processing unit (GPU), to drive the monitors instead of the card that's bundled with the displays.
It's important to know that HDMI isn't a supported connection to medical diagnostic displays. A graphics card with an HDMI output may not display images in full resolution on monitors because of improper signal conversion that happens from HDMI to either DisplayPort or DVI. Monitors.com recommends AMD FirePro, AMD Radeon Pro, and Nvidia Quadro series graphics cards to drive your diagnostic monitors. The Barco MXRT line of graphics cards is recommended for all Barco monitors. However, they aren't necessary because nearly all Barco monitors (except Barco UNITI) are compatible with AMD and Nvidia graphics cards.
Diagnostic displays are pre-calibrated to DICOM part 3.14 at the factory level and therefore are DICOM-compliant out of the box. This guarantees accurate reproduction of grayscale images regardless of the graphic card or workstation sharing a connection with the monitor.
All diagnostic displays have a backlight sensor mounted inside the monitor behind the backlight module. This controls the display's brightness and makes adjustments to the backlight to produce a sharp, bright image. Additionally, some monitors have a built-in front sensor that measures image quality from the viewing direction that radiologists see images.
To perform compliance tests on any diagnostic monitor, you need a monitor with a built-in front sensor. Otherwise, you'll have to purchase an external USB sensor. DICOM Compliance and QA reporting are mandatory for New York State and New York City Quality Assurance Programs for Primary Diagnostic Monitors, as well as guidelines set forth by the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) for all 5MP and digital mammography display monitors across the U.S. and Canada.
Please check with your healthcare facility to confirm whether submitting a monthly compliance report is necessary.
The main difference between renewed and new monitors is the length of their warranty.
For the most part, Monitors.com renewed products consist of open-box and demo models used at trade shows for industry organizations such as the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the Society for Imaging Informatics (SIIM). They are grade A+ in terms of cosmetic condition and are identical to new monitors in terms of image quality. All renewed products are guaranteed to pass all calibration and quality-assurance tests during the standard warranty period of three years. Essentially, renewed products offer buyers of diagnostic display monitors the opportunity to get a like-new product at a reduced cost.
New diagnostic monitors come with a five-year warranty.
If a new monitor is your preference, we offer great prices and world-class technical support on all our new diagnostic display offerings.
For any vendor with whom you consider doing business, ask about their return policy and a restocking fee to ensure that you have the option to return or exchange display monitors without any penalties. Most sellers charge a minimum 15% restocking fee.
Monitors.com is the only company that offers a 30-day, 100%-satisfaction, money-back guarantee and no restocking fee on all items we sell.
Additionally, most manufacturers or dealers offer only basic warranty coverage. Anything deemed "additional," such as hot-swap exchanges, carry an extra fee. (A hot-swap exchange is when a replacement monitor is sent immediately in the event of a product failure.)
Included with your Monitors.com purchase at no extra charge, our comprehensive standard warranty covers both parts and labor, as well as advanced hot-swap exchanges and loaner coverage. As part of our hot-swap exchange, we'll send you a replacement display in advance of the product return and include a prepaid label for you to return the monitor to us. This significantly reduces your downtime and gets you up and running by the next day if you request overnight delivery. We're the only company in our industry that offers this level of complete coverage.
Monitors.com standard warranties for renewed diagnostic monitors include:
Monitors.com standard warranties for new diagnostic monitors include:
If desired, Monitors.com offers extended warranties on both renewed and new monitors.
Workstations
As some radiologists refer to them, workstations, or CPUs, are an essential part of a properly configured reading station for radiologists. They do all the hard work of loading images, processing tasks, and sending images to the GPU, so they're displayed on monitor screens for the radiologist to interpret.
Investing in a reliable reading workstation has enormous benefits as it delivers a smooth, fast, lag-free experience when it comes to opening and scrolling through cases, as well as all other performance-related tasks. You can either purchase a workstation or have an IT professional build the system for you. Whichever option you choose, we provide technical support.
One advantage of buying a workstation from Monitors.com is that we can configure it to match your display setup. Upon delivery, your system will be plug and play. We do everything for you to configure the display, including installing the graphics card, calibration software, all Microsoft Windows updates, and any required software or hardware upgrades. We deliver a fully turnkey teleradiology PACS reading station. As soon as you receive your system, radiologists can start reading.
Additional advantages of purchasing a complete system from Monitors.com are, as previously discussed, our full warranty and hot-swap advance exchange on all our products. We also repair hardware or software issues. In this way, we serve as your one point of contact throughout the lifetime of your equipment.
Mobile Workstations (Laptops)
Because of recent advances in computer hardware, there are more options and a higher demand for mobile workstations (laptops). These mobile workstations are as powerful as their full-size personal computer (PC) counterparts and offer great functionality for radiologists who want a portable solution.
Typically, mobile workstations come with:
They are perfect for a standalone system to read any stat cases on the go since the display of the laptop itself is DICOM calibrated and meets ACR guidelines for clinical review displays.
In scenarios in which laptop monitors are required to be connected to a specific graphics card (GPU), an external GPU enclosure can connect to the mobile workstation to drive the desired display configuration.
Gaming PCs
We don't recommend using gaming PCs to set up your radiology reading station. This has to do with limitations that can arise because of the hardware design's nature and the intended functionality.
For example, some gaming PCs have limitations on the motherboard:
They're also not designed for the full-on, 24/7 performance and stability that workstations offer. Therefore, there's a much higher chance of system failure resulting from heavy usage. When radiologists have to complete readings or attend to stat cases, downtime isn't acceptable.
We have seen radiologists use gaming PCs to set up their reading station with success in the configuration. However, we can't confirm gaming PCs' reliability and uptime because they aren't designed precisely for this purpose.
iMACs, MACs, and MacBook Pros
All displays offered by Monitors.com are compatible with Apple products. You may need to purchase additional adapters to connect your monitors to your iMac or MacBook Pro properly. Please note the calibration software that communicates with the monitors is Microsoft Windows-based for Barco and JVC diagnostic displays. If you need to have a monitor DICOM calibrated, you may have to connect them via USB cable to a Windows PC to perform the necessary calibration and quality assurance. Currently, Eizo and LG are the only manufacturers that offer a MAC-native version of calibration and quality assurance software.
Typically, radiologists use Philips Speechmikes or Nuance Powermic dictation microphones. There are various available models and can be used with all dictation software, such as Dragon Medical, Epic, or Dolby.
Philips offers a variety of microphones, both USB-wired and wireless. Philips Speechmike LFH-3500 and SMP-3700 are among the most popular models. They come in a touch button or center-slider-control style. Suppose you are looking for a wireless option. In that case, we highly recommend Philips SpeechOne dictation headsets (SMP-6500) or Philips SpeechMike Premium Air Wireless handheld dictation microphone (SMP-4000) as they are the industry standards and market leaders in quality and performance.
Nuance's best-seller microphones are Powermic II and the newly redesigned and released Powermic III. In terms of functionality, they are identical. Both are fully compatible with the latest voice-recognition software. Improvements to Powermic III have been mostly in ergonomic characteristics.
We recommend that radiologists choose the model they are most comfortable with and are currently using with their current workstation.
Voice-recognition software isn't included with a microphone purchase. Typically, the PACS/RIS package purchased by healthcare facilities provides this software. If this doesn't apply to your situation and you'd like to buy a voice-recognition software license, please contact Monitors.com for a custom quote.
Medical displays are a significant and vital investment in the professional journey of radiologists.
In addition to the technical considerations we've outlined, understanding your long-term goals, and planning accordingly before purchasing a diagnostic display, is essential for maximizing your investment.
If you're a radiologist, ask yourself whether either of these two scenarios applies more to you:
Monitors.com offers a buy-back guarantee on most diagnostic displays and workstations that we sell, along with a comprehensive warranty that covers technical support during the full warranty period. Our goal is to assure you of excellent quality products, attentive customer service, and knowledgeable technicians to assist you.
Please contact us to discuss your requirements and request a custom quote, and our knowledgeable team will provide you with multiple options to fit any need or budget. You can also shop our large selection of diagnostic displays and workstations, and be sure to sign up to receive the latest deals and promotions delivered to your inbox as we have occasional flash sales exclusive to our email subscribers.
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1 Influence of Medical Display System on Productivity and Eye Strain of Radiologists, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 2012
]]>As you evaluate all your options for mammography displays in the market, how do you decide what’s best for the needs and budget of your radiology practice or healthcare facility? There are many available makes and models of mammography displays. Choosing one can be a daunting task.
As a buyer of diagnostic display technology, here are seven major considerations you need to take into account when selecting optimal mammography displays:
Screen resolution for mammography displays ranges between 5MP and 12MP.
In a dual-head display configuration—that is, two displays set up together as a pair—each monitor has a screen size of 21 inches and a resolution of 5MP. This is the minimum requirement that the MQSA calls for. Learn more about why you need a 5MP display monitor for interpreting mammography cases.
However, a single fusion display—in which breast images that would normally appear on two displays are combined into a single screen so that radiologists can more easily compare the images side by side—has a screen size of about 30 to 33 inches and a resolution of 12MP.
Although fusion displays clearly provide a larger screen and a much higher resolution, one option isn’t “better” than the other. The choice between a dual-head display or a fusion display comes down to personal preference and budget.
Evaluate the pros and cons of each option. Keep in mind:
As brightness of the screen increases, so does the ability to visualize abnormalities that include cancers. A display with increased brightness produces a higher-quality image. Some diagnostic mammography displays have a luminance of up to 2,000 candela/square meter (cd/m2).
Any mammography display you consider buying should:
This improves image quality and diagnostic accuracy, and can help to reduce eye fatigue for radiologists.
With any mammography display monitor you own (or any display monitor, period), the brightness of the screen will dim over time. Ambient conditions may change, impacting levels of brightness. Under the MQSA, mammography display monitors also have to undergo regular quality-assurance tests to ensure that they meet minimum standards for screen resolution, brightness, and contrast.
In these scenarios, you’ll have to calibrate the monitor to compensate for changes, confirm compliance, and maintain high image quality. The question is whether you’ll have to do calibrate the monitor manually, which distracts radiologists’ focus on reading cases, consumes a lot of valuable time, and introduces the possibility for human error, or whether this happens automatically.
You may want to consider buying a mammography display with a built-in front sensor that automatically detects changes in lighting or non-compliance with standards and regulations. Some monitors then make adjustments in real time. The majority of monitors make these corrections when calibration software is run.
The advantages of having a built-in front sensor and automated calibration and compliance include:
Even though grayscale mammography displays have higher brightness and contrast than their color counterparts, color monitors offer advantages that you may want to consider—namely, their versatility and convenience.
Color mammography displays combine—on a single screen—grayscale mammograms with color breast images obtained from other modalities, such as doppler ultrasound and breast MRI. This prevents radiologists from having to drag images into a side monitor to be viewed and interpreted, which is a distraction.
Not only can radiologists read cases in which color is needed for interpretation, but they can also enhance their workflow using color. Prior studies can be shown in a different color text overlay so radiologists can better distinguish cases when comparing current and previous studies. Additionally, CAD markings can be shown in different colors so they’re easier to see.
As multimodality breast imaging continues to increase, the ability to view color images will be especially important.
Although a 2D mammogram is still the most common type of mammogram, it’s just one picture of each side of the breast. Its main drawback is that it can be difficult to see abnormalities through all the layers of compressed breast tissue, especially in naturally dense tissue.
3D mammograms, or digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), are rapidly growing in prominence. They capture multiple images of the breast in 1-millimeter-thick slices, which enables radiologists to examine one layer of tissue at a time and from different angles. This can make it easier to detect cancers. 3D mammogram-compliant displays enhance the efficiency of scrolling through several images while ensuring that moving images are in focus.
From a business standpoint and for cultivating a reputation in the marketplace for keeping up with technology advances, it may be important for your practice or facility that your mammography displays can accommodate 3D mammograms.
Certainly, a financial investment in a mammography display monitor is substantial. Did you know that you can save a significant amount of money by buying a renewed product?
Often, renewed monitors served as open-box items at demos or trade shows for industry organizations such as the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the Society for Imaging Informatics (SIIM). Otherwise, they are identical to their brand-new counterparts in terms of cosmetic condition and image quality. Essentially, with a renewed monitor you’re getting a like-new product for much less.
Renewed monitors are also guaranteed to pass all calibration and quality-assurance tests during the standard warranty period of three years. Purchasing a renewed monitor doesn’t mean sacrificing compliance with MQSA guidelines and other industry standards and region-specific regulations.
The decision on whether to buy new or renewed usually comes down to personal preference, budget, and how long you plan to keep the equipment.
Before purchasing a mammography display monitor, ask about the length of the warranty period and the coverage. Most manufacturers or dealers offer only the most basic warranty coverage. Any extras, such as hot-swap exchanges, carry an additional fee. (A hot-swap exchange is when, in the event of a product failure, a replacement is sent immediately.)
Included with your Monitors.com purchase at no extra charge, our comprehensive standard warranty covers:
With our hot-swap exchange, we’ll send you a replacement display in advance of the product return and include a prepaid label for you to return the monitor to us. This significantly reduces your downtime and gets you up and running by the next day, if you request overnight delivery.
The standard warranty period for renewed monitors is three years. For new monitors, it’s five years. For customers who prefer full five-year coverage on their renewed monitors, we offer extended warranty options on all renewed products.
Additionally, we offer a 30-day, money-back, 100%-satisfaction guarantee—with no restocking fee.
We’re the only company in our industry that offers this level of complete coverage.
]]>If you’re in the position of buying medical display monitors for diagnostic applications, here’s one acronym you can’t afford to ignore: DICOM.
Managed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) in partnership with the American College of Radiology (ACR), Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is the international standard for how medical images acquired through diverse modalities and stored within a picture archiving and communications system (PACS) should be displayed digitally for best patient outcomes.
Specifically, this set of guidelines focuses on:
DICOM establishes a range of values for brightness and contrast that the pixel values of digital images must be mapped within on a screen. There are two reasons for this:
The ultimate aim of the DICOM standard is, of course, a high level of both accuracy in image interpretation.
Brightness and contrast values are presented along a curve in adherence to the way that the human eye works. As levels of brightness increase, we need greater contrast and a broader range of grays to be able to detect the subtleties seen in medical images. A look-up table (LUT) maps gray values with the necessary brightness.
This makes DICOM a truly objective standard. How radiologists view medical images isn’t based on individual user preference, a specific display, or a particular imaging modality. Instead, it’s about measurements of pixel values and models of how humans perceive contrast at different levels of brightness.
Here’s an example of the end result. As you can see, a DICOM-compliant image is superior to an image that isn’t.
Everything discussed so far concerns the DICOM Grayscale Standard Display Function (GSDF). To date, the DICOM standard only covers the digital presentation of grayscale images.
But that’s changing soon.
Color images are an increasingly important part of the diagnostic process for many modalities and applications. Currently, radiologists have to use the DICOM GSDF—or worse, consumer-grade color display monitors—to view and interpret color images. Both options are inadequate. That’s why the DICOM Color Standard Display Function (CSDF) has been recommended and is under review.
In addition to dictating how medical images are presented on screens, DICOM also governs how calibration should be performed. Calibration is the process of bringing a monitor into compliance with the DICOM standard, and maintaining that compliance over the long term.
Ongoing calibration is necessary because of changes in ambient conditions around radiology workstations that impact monitor brightness and visibility of details in images. And, if radiologists use consumer displays, monitor brightness degrades over time.
Users of consumer display monitors have more of an uphill battle in DICOM compliance. These monitors don’t come off the shelf already calibrated to DICOM standards. This isn’t ideal for the following reasons:
On the other hand, diagnostic display monitors are already DICOM-calibrated and further calibration is automatic. Sensors are integrated into the front of the screen, where they measure brightness from the direction in which radiologists view images, rather than measuring solely from the output of the monitor’s backlight. With a high level of precision, these fixed sensors measure changes in luminance of ambient conditions and make real-time adjustments to image presentation. They can also store and track calibration measurements over the lifespan of the display, which provides helpful records in the event of a legal dispute. The ease and automation of DICOM calibration is just one of the many reasons why medical displays are a superior choice to consumer displays.
To sum up, by maintaining awareness of and compliance with the DICOM standard and by selecting a medical display monitor that handles calibration for your radiology team, you can enjoy higher diagnostic confidence and rest assured that patients will benefit from access to best-quality imaging.
To view our selection of DICOM-calibrated diagnostic displays, click here.
]]>If you have a copy already installed and would like to uninstall and then proceed with installing a fresh copy, be sure to backup your Barco QAWeb previous reports prior to proceeding with any uninstallation task.
If you do not have a copy of the Barco QAWeb calibration and compliance software installed, please follow our guide on how to install Barco Medical QAWeb calibration software.
Follow the step the steps below to install Barco QAWeb calibration and compliance software:
MediCal QAWeb Agent InstallShield Wizard will start, Click Next.
Agree to License Agreement, click Next.
On Customer Information leave defaults, click Next.
On Destination Folder leave defaults, click Next.
On Ready to Install the Program, click Install.
Wait for install.
On InstallShield Wizard Complete, click Finish.
Open Start Menu, right click MediCal QAWeb Agent Version X.XX.XX, click More, select Pin to taskbar.
MediCal QAWeb Agent will now be pinned to your taskbar. Open MediCal QAWeb Agent.
When Windows Security Alert dialog box opens, select Allow access.
Conclusion
Barco Medical QAWeb, DICOM calibration and QA software is now installed on your computer. If you would like to learn more about how to use the Barco Medical QAWeb, DICOM calibration and QA software, please read the following guides:
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We believe the reason for this issue is one of the following:
The Nvidia driver conflicts with Barco MediCal QAWeb Calibration Software. This problem could typically happen without the user’s interaction, but rather via Windows Update. Most users did not make any changes to their Nvidia graphics driver before this error. We suspect Windows automatic update for Nvidia drivers is the root cause of the problem.
If the graphics card is purchased from Monitors.com, please contact Monitors.com for the correct Nvidia driver. If you have purchased your workstation/Graphic card from another vendor, please request a valid driver compatible with your operating system directly with them.
Please contact Monitors.com for the correct Barco MediCal QAWeb Calibration Software if you do not have a copy available.
3.1 Click Start Menu, then click gear icon.
3.2 Click Apps
3.3 In search bar type Nvidia.
3.4 Click on NVIDIA Graphics Driver XXX.XX, click Uninstall.
3.5 On the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes.
3.6 Click through the uninstall wizard to remove the program
3.7 Repeat these steps to uninstall all Nvidia software.
4.1 Navigate to the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Barco\QAWebAgent\conf\workstation\history
4.2 Backup the file located in this folder. In this example we will back it up to the desktop. However, you can choose a different location. Click and hold, then drag the file to the desktop.
5.1 Go back to the Apps setting option.
5.2 Search for MediCal QAWeb Agent, click Uninstall.
5.3 On the "User Account Control" dialog box, click Yes.
5.4 Click through the uninstall wizard to remove the program and restart the computer.
6.1 Navigate to the following file: C:\Program Files\Barco, double-click on Barco_System_Cleaner.bat
6.2 On the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes.
6.3 On the “Do you wish to continue?” questions, type “Y
6.4 The computer will restart twice
7.1 Navigate to the Downloads folder, double-click on Nvidia driver installer.
7.2 On the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes.
7.3 Click through the install wizard, leaving the default settings, to install the new driver.
8.1 MediCal QAWeb Agent InstallShield Wizard will start, Click Next.
8.2 Agree to License Agreement, click Next.
8.3 On Customer Information leave defaults, click Next.
8.4 On Destination Folder leave defaults, click Next.
8.5 On Ready to Install the Program, click Install.
8.6 Wait for install.
8.7 On InstallShield Wizard Complete, click Finish.
8.8 Open Start Menu, right-click MediCal QAWeb Agent Version X.XX.XX, click More, select Pin to taskbar.
8.9 Barco MediCal QAWeb Calibration Software Agent will now be pinned to your taskbar.
9.1 Navigate back to the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Barco\QAWebAgent\conf\workstation\history
9.2 Navigate to your backup reports. Click and hold then drag to the history folder.
9.3 Open Barco MediCal QAWeb Calibration Software Agent.
9.4 When the Windows Security Alert dialog box opens, select Allow access.
At this point, your Barco calibration software should launch and function properly. If you need assistance on performing calibration and QA on your Barco monitors, be sure to read our detailed guide on How to Change Calibration and Compliance Test Frequency, Perform Calibration and Compliance test, and View Previous Reports on Barco Medical Displays Using Barco MediCal QAWeb, DICOM Calibration and QA Software - Windows 10
]]>Please follow the steps below to properly install, configure and perform a full calibration and compliance test on your Barco monitors using Barco QAWeb.
Please ensure that your USB Type-B cable is connected from your monitors to your computer before you start.
Open "MediCal QAWeb Agent" calibration software. You can search for the software in the search bar next to the Start Menu.
Wait for QAWeb to detect the configuration.
Click on Switch User
Type password: advanced, then press OK.
Click Status
On Auto-calibration, click Info.
On Frequency, click Modify.
Change Frequency to Weekly then click OK. For Mammography, select Daily.
On Calibration Method, Click Modify.
Select Full Calibration, then click OK.
Verify changes on all monitors.
Click Close
On Compliance Test, click Info.
On Frequency, click Modify.
Change Frequency to Daily then click OK.
Verify changes on all monitors.
Click Close
On Auto-Calibration, click Run.
Wait for Auto-calibration to run.
On the results page, take note of Action Result: OK
To view detailed report, on Detailed Result, click View Detailed Result.
To Save report, Click Save as PDF.
Click Open Report (Acrobat Reader required).
Save according to your PDF reader software.
Following these steps for all monitors.
Click Close
On Compliance Test, click Run.
Wait for Compliance Test to run.
On results page, take note of Action Results: OK
To view detailed report, on Detailed Result, click View Detailed Result.
To save report, click Save as PDF.
Click on Open Report (Acrobat Reader required).
Save according to your PDF reader software.
Click Close
Following these steps for all monitors.
Click Close
To view all reports performed on monitors, click "View the history of all actions on this workstation" under Action History.
To view report, under Result, click on OK or NOT OK on desired report.
Your monitors now has the proper auto-calibration and auto-compliance test settings using the Barco Medical QAWeb DICOM Calibration & QA software.
]]>We believe the issue can be resolved by enabling the buttons in the Barco MediCal QAWeb, DICOM Calibration and QA Software.
Open MediCal QAWeb Agent calibration software. You can search for the software in the search bar next to the Start Menu.
Wait for QAWeb to detect the configuration.
Click on Switch User
Type password: advanced, then press OK.
Click Configuration
Select your Barco Medical Monitor, Click Extended, on Front Control Buttons, click the drop-down arrow and select Enabled.
You should be able to use your Barco medical diagnostic monitors' front buttons after changing these settings. Verify the changes by pushing the power and menu buttons.
If you upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10, we recommend doing a clean install of Windows 10 to avoid any potential problems.
DO NOT install MXRT graphics cards along with ANY Nvidia, AMD, Intel HD Graphics or any other graphics cards since this will cause problems. Also, please make sure any Nvidia, AMD, or any other graphics card drivers and software are uninstalled, removed and system rebooted prior to installing your MXRT cart or installing MXRT driver. Presence of any Nvidia, AMD or Intel HD Graphics driver will cause the system to malfunction and will not allow you to have a functioning MXRT driver on your system.
Please do not use any USB to VGA, USB to HDMI or USB to DVI type adapter to run your 3rd monitor. These adapters are known to cause conflict with Barco MXRT drivers and Barco Calibration and QA software.
If your PC has a built-in GPU (Intel on-board graphic) you MUST disable the on-board graphic from the BIOS. The disabling process cannot be done via Windows OS or remotely by a technician. Barco MXRT series graphics cards will not function correctly when any other graphic card or its drivers are installed.
PLEASE CHECK BEFORE YOU PROCEED
How to check what graphics cards you have installed:
How to verify no Nvidia, Intel AMD, etc. drivers and software are installed:
If any results show, please uninstall ALL drivers and software and restart the computer.
Please follow the steps below to install your Barco MXRT graphics card driver and software.
Before you begin, please save any open files since the computer will restart several times. You will also notice your screen(s) flicker during the installation process, this is normal.
Insert your Barco Display System Driver Disc or request a copy of Barco MXRT driver file from Monitors.com to be emailed to you.
Navigate to the "BARCO_SYSTEM_DVD." Double click on setup (if you have downloaded the drivers or files have been provided to you by Monitors.com, please go ahead and unzip the files and proceed to the next step.)
On the User Access Control, click Yes.
Wait for the Barco initialization screen to finish.
Select the following settings for the installation.
On the “The following components will be installed.” screen, select MXRT Driver and Intuitive Workflow Tools and BarcoMed Self Exam. If you need to install MediCal QAWeb, you can select the option to install MediCal QAWeb however in this guide we will focus on the Barco MXRT graphics card driver.
When the installation reaches this step, you will notice screen-flickers.
Once the installation is complete, restart the computer.
You have successfully installed the Barco MXRT graphics card driver. You should notice your monitors reach their full resolution and in the Device Manager window, you will see the correct graphics card name displayed.
In this example, Device Manager shows the Barco MXRT 5450 and 2500 correctly identified by Windows 10. Your MXRT card may be different thus different models may show up (MXRT-7600, MXRT-5600, MXRT-5500, etc.)
If you need to install Barco Medical QAWeb or need assistance on performing calibration and QA on your Barco medical diagnostic radiology monitors, please be sure to read our other guides on these processes.
]]>You need to install RadiCS v5 for your Eizo monitors.
Follow the instructions below to install RadiCS v5.
Insert your Eizo Driver Disc into your computer’s DVD player, included with your order. Navigate to Driver disc, double-click on Calibration Software
Double-click on Eizo RadiCSv5
Double-click on EIZO_RadiCS_v5.0.3.10
Wait for the installer to launch
On the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes
Click through the installation wizard, leave default settings
Click on the Start Menu, click on the EIZO folder, right-click on RadiCS Ver.5, hover over More, click on Pin to taskbar. The RadiCS software will now be located on your taskbar for easy access.
Eizo’s RadiCSv5 should now be installed on your computer. If you need further assistance on how to use the software please look at the following guides:
You need to perform a DICOM calibration on your Eizo Radiforce medicaid display monitors.
Follow the instructions below to calibrate your Eizo monitors using RadiCS v5. Please contact us to request a copy of the Eizo calibration and QA software if you need a copy. Please follow the instructions on how to install the Eizo RadiCS calibration software if you do not have a copy installed on your system.
Before you start, please make sure that your USB Type-B cable is connected from
your monitors to your computer.
Open RadiCS Version 5
Wait for RadiCS to detect monitor(s)
Click on Administrator mode
Type password: passwordv5. Click OK
Click Calibration
Verify the monitors are selected. Click Proceed
During the calibration process, the RadiCS software will fade out
Also, during the calibration, the monitor(s) will go black and the build-in sensor will pop out.
On the Finish page, click on Passed or Failed to view a detailed report
Click Finish
Your monitor(s) will now be calibrated to the DICOM standard. If you wish to configure RadiCSv5 to automatically calibrate your monitors, please follow the How to Schedule Automatic Calibration in Eizo RadiCS DICOM Calibration and QA Software v5 - Win 10 Pro guide.
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You would like Eizo RadiCS DICOM calibration software to calibrate your Eizo medical display monitors automatically at set time intervals.
Follow the instructions below to set up automatic calibration in Eizo RadiCS DICOM calibration and QA software v5.
Open RadiCS Version 5
Wait for RadiCS to detect monitor(s)
Click on Administrator mode
Type password: passwordv5. Click OK
Click on Options, then Configuration
Click Schedule
Check the check box next to Enable schedule function, Check the check box next to Calibration, then click Change
On the Schedule page, select how often you want the calibration to occur, then click OK. In this example, it is set to a weekly calibration that will happen every Monday at 12:00 AM.
You will notice your set schedule on the Schedule tab. Click Save
RadiCSv5 is now configured to do auto-calibration so you do not have to worry about it. If you need to view reports of these calibrations please follow our How to View Previous Reports in Eizo RadiCS DICOM Calibration and QA Software v5 - Win 10 Pro guide.
]]>You need to view reports of previously performed tasks in Eizo RadiCS calibration software for Eizo medical display monitors (RadiCS v5 and above)
Follow the instructions below to view reports in Eizo RadiCS DICOM Calibration and QA Software.
Open RadiCS Version 5
Wait for RadiCS to detect monitor(s)
Click on History List
On the History List page, under Result, click on the desired report you wish to view.
Use this page if you need to reference previous reports and/or save PDF copies. If you need to calibrate your monitors please follow the How to Perform Calibration on Eizo Medical Display Monitors Using Eizo RadiCS DICOM Calibration and QA Software - Win 10 Pro guide.
]]>You need to install JVC Medivisor Agent DICOM Calibration and QA Software for your JVC/Totoku monitor(s).
Follow the instructions below to install JVC Medivisor Agent DICOM Calibration and QA Software.
Insert your JVC Driver Disc into your computer’s DVD player, included with your order or contact Monitors.com for a copy of the JVC Medivisor Agent DICOM Calibration and QA Software.
Navigate to Driver disc, double-click on Calibration Software
Double-click on QA Medivisor Agent 1.5.0.56
Double-click on setup_us
Wait for the installer to launch
On the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes
Click through the installation wizard, leave default settings
Search for QA Medivisor Agent in the search bar next to the start menu. Right-click on QA Medivisor Agent app. Click on Pin to taskbar. QA Medivisor will now be located on your taskbar for easy access.
JVC Medivisor Agent DICOM Calibration and QA Software is now installed on your computer. If you need help using the program, please follow the guides below:
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You need to run a DICOM calibration on your JVC/Totoku medical display diagnostic monitors.
Follow the instructions below to manually run a DICOM calibration using JVC medivisor calibration and QA software.
Important: Please make sure a copy of the JVC Medivisor Agent is installed. Please follow this guide on how to install JVC Medivisor Agent calibration and QA software.
Open JVC Medivisor Agent
Wait for JVC Medivisor Agent Software to load
Click on Calibration
It is recommended to have the monitors on for at least 60 minutes before calibration so the lamps have time to warm up and reach optimal luminance. Otherwise if you would like to run the calibration and QA immediately, please have this box unchecked.. Click Run
Click OK
Wait for Calibration to complete
Click OK
Click on Show Details to view the report. Click on Save Report to save the report
Click Exit
Your monitor(s) will now be calibrated to the DICOM standard. If you wish to configure JVC Medivisor Agent application to automatically calibrate your monitors on a set schedule, please follow our guide on How to schedule automatic DICOM calibration on TOTOKU JVC medical display monitors using Medivisor Agent - Win 10 Pro.
]]>You need to configure QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software to automatically run DICOM calibrations.
Follow the instructions below to configure your QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software to run auto DICOM calibrations.
Open QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software
Wait for QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software to load
Click on the Right Arrow
Click Schedule Tasks
Check Calibration then click Settings
On Type, select One Time, Daily, Weekly, or Custom Plan. In this example, we will walk you through how to set up a Weekly Calibration
On Time, select the time you want the calibration to occur. Please note the time is in a 24-Hour format (Military Time)
On Week, select the day of the week you want the calibration to occur
Select Autorun (Using Front Sensor) then click OK
Click OK
QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software is now configured to do auto DICOM calibrations so you do not have to worry about it. If you need to view reports of these calibrations please follow our How to view reports in QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software - Win 10 Pro guide.
]]>You need to reference a previous report recorded in QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software.M calibrations.
Follow the instructions below to view and save reports in QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software.
Open QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software
Wait for QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software to load
Click on QA History
Click on Details on the desired report to view
Click on Show Graphs to view the graphs of the report
Click on Report on the desired report to save
Select the desired location to save the report then click Save
Click on Show All Items to view all reports recorded OR click Show Next 10 Items to view reports in groups of 10
Use this page if you need to reference previous reports and/or save PDF copies. If you need to calibrate your monitors please follow the How to perform calibration using QA Medivisor Agent v1.5.0.56 DICOM Calibration and QA Software - Win 10 Pro guide.
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