The integration of 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in the healthcare sector has paved the way for transformative advancements in medical imaging systems, particularly in the realm of UltraSound (US) imaging. This abstract delves into the innovative approach of virtualizing US medical imaging systems through cloud-edge computing, highlighting the benefits, challenges, and implications of this paradigm shift.
The traditional US medical imaging process is often constrained by the technical limitations of local devices and the expertise of healthcare operators. Electronic Health Record (EHR) processes typically rely on on-premises hardware components for real-time data processing, leading to high acquisition costs and limited flexibility in system upgrades. By virtualizing US systems and migrating critical functions to the cloud-edge continuum, barriers related to hardware capabilities and localization can be overcome, enabling a more agile and scalable approach to medical imaging.
The core concept of virtualization involves transforming US acquisition hardware and imaging viewers into smart, wireless-connected entities that can seamlessly interact with cloud-based applications. This dematerialization of US system functions, except for the probe and input/output devices, allows for centralized data processing, analysis, and visualization. Through the deployment of Virtual Objects (VOs) and Composite VOs (cVOs), physical and virtual components can be intelligently managed and orchestrated to meet service requirements and optimize system performance.