Abstract
The objective was to investigate and develop an IVIR Image manipulation tool within a relational database management system (RDBMS) environment. In this study the main imaging modalities, such as x-ray computed tomography (CT), emission computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, biomagnetic source imaging and other digital medical imaging techniques, are reviewed. The principle of magnetic resonance imaging is examined to understand how an MR image manipulation tool within RDBMS can be useful for quantitative MR image analysis for diagnostic medical research such as cancer. Currently thousands of MR images might produced for a single cancer patient during the course of his treatment, but there is a lack of effective computer aided systems for managing and analysing these images, and for assisting clinicians in their decision making process. This thesis identifies the development of an effective MR image manipulation tool within relational database management system environment as a possible resolution of this problem. Detailed specifications for designing an MR image database tool are researched and the generalised standard is proposed in this thesis. The proposed MR image database tool mainly covers 4 areas: (1) definition of database for storing MR images within RDBMS, (2) definition of import routine for processing and importing raw MR images into the database, (3) definition of MR image search and selection tool for querying images from the database and (4) definition of standard for developing MR image plug-in module such as the example program for calculating T2* and M0 images utilising images from MR image database. A prototype of MR image database tool is designed and developed to realise the above four main functionalities and its capability is demonstrated within this research work. Though the image import routine may vary for MR images acquired from different MRI scanners, the underlying database storage, the search engine and the plug-in module remain the same. This adds enormous benefits toward the diagnostic medical imaging research work.