PIPSpro Changes

Changes from PIPS version 2 to PIPSpro  3.1

  Note: This is not a complete description of PIPSpro. It is intended only for users of PIPS version 2 who are familiar with the terminology and function names in PIPS. Only significant changes are listed, and routines and tools which are similar to PIPS version 2.x are not included in this document. The modifications listed here apply to the latest version of PIPSpro 3.1 and may not be present in earlier versions.

 General

PIPSpro consists of a basic system and a number of optional modules, which are accessed from a new Appls menu. Depending on how the system is configured at the time of placing the order, any number of these modules can be included in the license. Modules can also be added at a later time, if required.

The main menu has a new Toolbar with tooltips, permitting shortcuts to the more useful routines. Many menu items also have helpful shortcut buttons.

Most of the data files generated by PIPSpro can be saved in ASCII format to a *.txt or *.dat file for subsequent review and/or export to a data base or spreadsheet. PIPSpro can also open these files, or one may use any standard program such as Notepad. These data files include registration parameters, contours, fiducial points, templates, profiles, measurement results, Dump ROI, image headers, custom filters, response curve fitting parameters, dose response tables and maps, and dewarp maps.

 File

Open The following file formats can be opened: bitmap (*.bmp), Tiff (*.tif), DICOM 3 (*.dcm), PPM (*.ppm), JPEG (*.jpg), data (*.dat) and text (*.txt).

Import routines are provided for EPI images from Philips/Elekta, Siemens, Varian and Infimed, and images with CART (*.crt) and POSEIDON (*.psd) formats. (Eliav PORTpro and Elekta iView images are in bitmap format). File headers are saved to text files for easy review. PIPSpro can be launched from other applications by using a run line command.

Save includes additional checks to reduce the risk of overwriting the original image.

2 Image Operation includes a more complete set of arithmetic and Boolean operations, including A±B, A/B, AxB, AmaxB, AminB, AandB, AorB, A+kB, A-kB. An option is provided to normalize/not normalize the result, which is displayed in a new window. Image pairs do not need to have the same size.

CopyCat has been expanded to include ROI and length measurements, and to display information on 16-bit data and/or dose values where appropriate.

The blank leader page has been deleted from Capture\Print.

Edit

Duplicate permits the duplication of an image with a single mouse click.

Windowing has been greatly improved by adding new features. Save Colors saves the current windowing parameters. Save Image converts the active image to the new (windowed) values. Reset reverts to the default settings.

EditTool contains many new features. A Pin Detect button will find pins, seeds or markers within a search region and with a sensitivity which are set in Config. Fiducial point numbers can be toggled ON/OFF with function key F8. A message is given if >99 points are selected.

Notes. Notes can be saved and printed. Notes saved with the color RED cannot be edited or deleted.

Enhance

 Arithmetic operation. Selectable to operate inside/outside of ROI.

 Sharpen. A custom mask can be entered and edited on the screen.

 Contrast. Contrast enhancement options have been greatly simplified to AHE, SRAHE and AHC. Region size is     set by default, and only the clip level (degree of contrast) needs to be selected.

 Topomap. Colored plots of iso-contours or iso-intervals can be selected, with fully adjustable colors.

 Blurred mask image enhancement has been added.

 Custom Filter. A user-supplied filter kernel can be prepared as a text file and loaded for operation on the active  image.

Feature

Pin Detect opens the EditTool at Fiducial, and converts detected objects to fiducial points. The search region and sensitivity are controlled from Config.

Measurement is a new feature, permitting the measurement of distances, angles and areas. Results are displayed in an on-screen notepad, and can be saved, retrieved, or exported for further analysis.

Dump ROI permits saving the pixel data in a ROI for export to a spreadsheet for analysis.

Profile now permits profile data to be saved to a profile (*.prf) or ASCII (*.txt) file.

Zoom

Magnify Glass current parameters are saved and restored the next time PIPSpro is run. Fiducial, contour and template points can be placed, moved and deleted using the magnifying glass and either a mouse click or with function key F2.

Grab is a new feature permitting "grabbing" an over-size image and moving it around in the window.

Register

Algorithm stability has been improved to prevent memory overload.

Template Registration has been improved for the situation when the images have different size or scale. The template is now copied from the reference image to the treatment image with (optional) automatic scaling, rotation and shift. The template can be toggled ON/OFF with function key F7 for easier visualization of anatomical structures.

Transformed images display contours, fiducials, and templates if present in the original image.

Fiducial, Contour and Template points can be saved to *.txt files for review and export.

Registration parameters are saved to current and cumulative ASCII files. Note: Only Field Error is calculated in PIPSpro, and Field Correction is not calculated or displayed.

Image of Regret has been modified for more convenient display.

Transform

Manipul has been added as a menu item, providing a comprehensive tool for manipulating the scale, shift and rotation of an image.

Chamfer has been added for registering two images by contours, fiducials or templates. This is useful for CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and X-ray images.

Palette

Default LUT. A LUT can be designated as the default LUT and saved/retrieved.

Macro

The macro facility covers more functions, including Duplicate.

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