Promising Rapid Access High-Capacity Mass Storage Technique For Diagnostic Information Utilizing Optical Disc

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Abstract
The optical disc has become a new technique for mass digital data storage of X-ray images from examinations and films in todays hospitals. Up to 36,000 X-ray images can be stored on one side of a 12-inch disc by melting holes 0.015 mils in size in an ablative material such as tellerium with a laser beam. This unique characteristic makes the disc suitable for storage and retrieval of X-rays in a record and playback system in either a single disc or multiple disc "jukebox" configuration. Doctors, nurses, technicians and other hospital personnel can call up a particular X-ray in less than 0.6 of a second in an on-line single disc system and up to less than 6 seconds in an on-line "jukebox" system. The jukebox is configured to hold up to 100 discs, thus storing 3,600,000 X-rays in hospitals with a bed size of greater than 500. The estimated exposed films on file in those hospitals is 327,400,000 and the estimated annual X-ray exams are 44,300. Thus, a single disc system could be used for an all electronic X-ray scanning system for annual X-ray exams. The jukebox configuration, which has expansion capability for servicing multiple simultaneous user request, can be applied to large archival mass storage. These systems could store the existing exposed films in hospitals with bed size greater than 500 at record and playback data rates of 50 Mb/s with access times of less than 15 seconds.

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