Storage and Utilization of Images in Otorhinolaryngology

The amount of data in the field of otorhinolaryngology has rapidly increased, in proportion to the growing number of patients. Medical imaging has especially expanded and the percentage of image data in all information is also large. Because the space to preserve image films is increasing, it is very important to preserve them and make them easily available. Therefore, we have established a graphic filing system for storing endoscopic and radiographic images on VHS video tape and magnet-optical disk (MOD), using a personal computer. The MOD filing system is useful for storing a large amount of medical records. The user can simultaneously see the text data and the picture image on a display, and thus this system can be utilized as a database for both decision making and medical research.