Evolution of electronic imaging in the medical environment

The development of the electronic radiology department has required the combination of several technologies to solve some of the unique challenges the conversion posed. Radiology information systems (RIS) were developed using database technologies to handle the textual information. However, database technology could not adequately handle the size of the images. Hence, a separate entity was created which focused on developing the technology required to manage images, which is dubbed picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). The evolution of this electronic imaging PACS in the medical environment is presented.