Distributed microwave image processing system and method

Abstract

A distributed imaging system uses non-ionizing radiation in the form of microwaves to image the body. This non-ionizing radiation is safer for a patient than traditional x-rays. The majority of image processing takes place in a centralized computing environment which receives microwave image data from many remote data acquisition sites (such as imaging centers, radiology groups, and/or doctor's offices). The centralized computing environment is specially configured to receive microwave image data from many sites and produce microwave images based on the received microwave image data. The microwave images may then be sent back to the acquisition site and/or to other sites for viewing and evaluation. This relieves the image data acquisition site of the burden and expense of having specialized high speed computer equipment that is necessary to produce microwave images. Because the computing environment collects and stores information (data and results) from many data acquisition sites in one central location, the prior results from all of the acquisition sites can be accessed and used to enhance processing and diagnosis.