Colon

1. How can I create a Communicator for a Laptop Demo?
    

    

   One of the big advantages of Rendoscopy Software Packages are the "Communicator" ability of very kind of the 3D Imaging, such as in Colon, Angio, etc..

   Every full licence is able to create such Communicator files. These files can be used for a very a LIVE DEMO of your findings in the X-Ray Demo-Room or for your clinical partner to plan his therapy. The Communicator has the full 3D navigation, besides of any kind of influencing the original findings (for legal reasons!).

   Alternatively the Communicator can be used for a oral presentatio from your Laptop or from your USB Stick (> 1 GB memory).

   To run the communicator you should realize nearly the same hardware requirments as for the Gentle Colon application:

   1. Windows XP(64) (Vista should run, but not excessively tested!)
   2. 1 GB RAM Memory (recommended: 2 or 4 GB)
   3. Reading: You must have a NVIDIA graphicscard.
      DEMO: NVIDIA is an option, even if the best image quality and performance one you should have a NVIDIA graphicscard.

   To create a communicator (for instance on an USB Stick) perform the following steps:

   1. Open the case of your preference in Gentle Colon.
   2. In the menu bar: File, Save as, Choose your USB Stick, Save the GCD or RND file.
   3. Copy the whole sub-directory C:\Programme\Rendoscopy\GC2Communicator to the same place on the USB Stick, where you copied the GCD file.
   4. Test the Communicator, while closing all windows (particular the full licence Gentle Colon Window) and double click to "gc2communicator" on your USB Stick.

   Hints:

   • The GC2Communicator Sub-directory must be copied to EVERY PC only once. Than just the GCD files must be copied and can be visualised EVERYWHERE. With or without network!
   • You can configure the Patient History (>1.3.1) automatically EVERY incoming axial cuts of data will be available on a server with a 3D GCD "result" file!

    

   
   Read more...
2. How can I create a special track through the colon?
    

    

   If you would like to obtain the track of a special colon loop in one of the 2D images, just press the Ctrl-key on the keyboard and paint a yellow arrow in the desired distended colon with the left mouse button (see image).

   

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

3. How can I switch the camera orientation?
    

    

   The default orientation of the virtual camera is always antegrade. If you press the space bar (short-key) to start the fly-through and the fly-over you can see that the "Play forward" button at the bottom at the right hand side of the Gentle Colon application is pressed as well.

   The second "Play" button corresponds to the retrograde fly-through and fly-over! The short-key for retrograde orientation is Ctrl-Spacebar (while pressing the Ctrl-Key hit the spacebar).

4. How do I perform a Rendoscopy Setup Installation?
    

    

   Please view the Rendoscopy Installation Manual. The following instructions are for our more impatient users:

   1. Double click to the RNDSetup.exe you got from Rendoscopy
   2. Follow all standards entries and configuration, make no alterations
   3. After installation is complete, Start the SQL Database: Start, All Programs, Rendoscopy, Start Database.
   4. Enter the username: "rendoscopy", Password: "mysql"
   5. Initialize Patient History Database: Start, All Programs, Rendoscopy, Initialize Patient History Database.
   6. Open Patient History from the Desktop (double click to the appropriate Icon).
   7. An Information window appears - Click OK
   8. Go to the Service Menu through clicking on the "Service" Icon on the left hand side of the icon bar.
   9. Install the Rendoscopy DICOM Service

   
   That’s it! Of course your CT or PACS must be configured to the appropriate DICOM settings, or alternatively the Rendoscopy Workstation must be configured to the DICOM settings of the CT and or PACS.
5. Is it necessary to paint the track in the colon manually?
    

    

   No, this is done by the application - Gentle Colon - automatically. In very few cases you must support the system to find the track.

   You have different options of automation to perform the Post Processing of the Rendoscopy applications. Gentle Colon - as with every Rendoscopy Application - is managed by the Patient History. This means with Gentle Colon you have three different options with which to handle and process data - more or less automatically:

   1. Manually Loading after DICOM receiving into the Patient History
   
   
   2. Batch Processing: Mark as many exams or studies in the Patient History as you prefer, and press the right mouse button in the marked area to start Batch Processing.
   
   
   3. Queuing: Every dataset that is sent will be automatically loaded into the application, and you will find the 3D result as a new DICOM series, either in the Patient History or wherever you want it globally, depending on your configuration of the Patient Management File System. This means that queuing offers you the option of using the System in a Server-Mode.
   
   
6. What are the Default DICOM Settings used by Rendoscopy?
    

    

   The default DICOM settings in the Rendoscopy application are AE-Title "RENDOS"; Port: "4444". These values can be changed of course according to your preference. 
7. Why can't I start the downloaded Communicator?
    

    

   After downloading the Rendoscopy Communicator Tool, you must take the following points into consideration:

   1. Unpack the RAR file using WinRAR
   2. This is a communication tool and not a DEMO tool. This means that you will have the full high resolution of the dataset. Your computer should therefore have 1 GB of RAM Memory.
   3. For reading purposes you MUST have a NVIDIA graphics card, such as the GeForce 6, 7 or 8 Series.
   4. After unpacking, double click on "gc2communicator.exe". The executable automatically starts and loads the data file.
   5. After the loading process is finished, you will have exactly the same interactions and functions as the full license. Hit the "k" key (Key- and Mouse Bindings) on the keyboard to get a very short description of the Key- and Mouse Bindings.
8. Why can’t we access the luminal window in the prone series?
    

    

   
   

   In some cases, this can occur if the resampling is active for large data-sets, even if the resampling is not entirely necessary. Switch off the resampling and try again.

   The re-sampling can be switched on/off in every form of loading data:

   1. Patient History - Right mouse button, Load in GC2 Automatic
      
      Go to Patient History: Tools, Preferences, Tools, Tab: Gentle Colon 3D, Options for GC2 with Automation, Switch on/off "Automatic resampling"
   
   
   
   2. Patient History - Queuing
      
      Go to Patient History: Tools, Preferences, Tools, Queuing, Automatic Processing in Gentle Colon 3D: De- or activate "Resampling"
   
   
   
   3. Patient History - Batch
      
      Go to Patient History: Right Mouse button on to reconstructed Patients / Studies: Batch Process, disable or activate resampling.
   
   
   
9. Why do I miss some views, even those I’ve already seen?!
    

    

   Use the View Menu in Gentle Colon to activate and deactivate the view.
10. Why is the Endoluminal View black?
     

     

    In very rare cases, it may occur that the endoluminal view is black. This is caused when the SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) is lower than in your other general exams. Please use the isotropic filter in Gentle Colon. This filter can be switched on for every exam in the Patient History: Tools, Preferences, Tools, Gentle Colon Automatic, "Resample data". If this does not help, contact Rendoscopy´s Serivce & Support team.
11. Why was Gentle Colon not able to find a path in the colon?
     

     

    This could be caused by the following:

    • The Multi-Path-Tracking System will only display the number of tracks that are found in the preferences. Have a look into the Gentle Colon Application. Select Edit, Options, Path, and Maximum Number of Paths from the menu and change the number of displayed paths to the desired value. The default setting is two.
    
    
    • There are more than two "starting points" in the colon. This can happen when the scan intersects with the colon frame; either because the patient was breathing heavier during the scan than during the CT planning, or because the planning was too narrow. In this case there are three starting points: rectum, coecal pole, truncated and "opened" colon. Move the mouse pointer to the corresponding colon loop in one of the 2D images and paint a yellow arrow inside it by pressing the Ctrl-Key and the left mouse button.

    • Starting with Gentle Colon Version 2.0.15, a Path-Editor tool is available. In Gentle Colon select Tools, Edit Path Segments and the Path-Editor will open in a new window. In the first column (labeled "visible") you can switch tracks on or off. If you click an item of the second column (labeled "Path Segment") the corresponding track in the topogram view will appear emphasized.

     

Patient History

1. Database Corruption
    

    

   The patient History can be opened with or without error messages. BUT, you can not open a patient dataset.

   Do the following steps:

   1. Switch off the Patient History
   2. Stop the DICOM Server
   3. Shut down the SQL server: Right mouse on the traffic ligt icon on the lower right corner. Stop the service.
   4. In C:\mysql\data\rendoscopy is the usual actual database path. The files in this subdirectory can be corrupted under some circumstances. Create with the Windows Explorer in C:\mysql\data a new subdirectory, such as rendoscopy_1.
   5. Open the Patient History and click to the "SERVICE" Icon on the left hand side.
   6. Choose the second TAB, named "Patient Database"
   7. In "Patient Database" enter in the line named "Database Name" the new subdirectory name you created in point 1: rendoscopy_1
   8. Press APPLY on the lower part of the Patient History.
   9. Reboot the Workstation.
   10. Start the Patient History
   11. Click to the icon "Study by Date", you will see now an empty Patient History.
   12. On the upper left, press File, "Import Data"
   13. The import window is opening: Choose "Import all Data (including subdirectories)"
   14. Choose the location of the DcmArchive\DB\RENDOS (mostly located at C:\DcmArchive\DB\RENDOS
   15. Please be patient for collecting data and importing. Depending on the size of the disk this can need hours!

   
   
2. How can I save special cases from the Patient History ?
    

    

   1. In the Patient History, mark a patient in the Study and / or Patient Area, and click the right mouse button. In the new opened menu choose "export". If you have connected an external disk or another form of storage device, you will be able to save this onto the corresponding device. In the external storage device please remember to organize your data in a self explanatory way.
   
   
   2. Alternatively (or as in previous software releases) you can save from the application (such as Gentle Colon) directly on to the external storage device. For example in Gentle Colon, choose File, Save as, and than choose the external device of your choice, and save it.
   
   
   3. Additionally, save the appropriate Communicator file in the same place that you send the RND or GCD files. To copy the Rendoscopy Communicator files observe the following points:
      
      
      1. Go to C://Programme/Rendoscopy/GC2Communicator
      2. Mark everything (=Ctrl-a)
      3. Copy everything (=Ctrl-c)
      4. Go to your target, for instance the external storage device, and paste the previous copy into the corresponding place (=Ctrl-v), as for example in the "HOME"-Directory of all the RND / GCD (data) files.
         
         [Comment: You will be able to have some freedom of compatibility with new Communicator releases, if you save just the gc2communicator.exe file always with the RND / GCD file. This guarantees that the RND or GCD file will correspond to the gc2communicator file in any case.]

Angiography

1. When will the first release of the Angiography Tool be available ?
    

    

   Planned: Q 1/2008.
2. Which kind of functionality will be available in the Angio-Tool ?
    

    

   The following functionality of the Angiography (peripherical Angiography) is actually running on the system:

   1. One click segmentation for all branches
   2. Multi Workspace Handling with as many exams as you need (using XP64 - it is just a question of how much RAM you are using on your computer)
   3. Multi-Path-Algorithims to decrease the amount of effort on the part of the doctor.
   4. The following windows will be available: MPR, oblique [always perpendicular to the track through the vessels], Volume Rendering with presets for the vessels and bones, Surface Rendering just from the segmented area, curved MPR, functions along the tracks
   5. Communicator creation to share the findings of the doctor with everyone.

Cardiology

1. When will the first release of the Cardiac Tool be available ?
    

    

   Planned: Q 1 / 2008.

CO2 Insufflator

1. When will the insufflator be available?
    

    

   The Insufflator will be made available immediately. Please call Rendoscopy (+49 89 893 112 60) to receive more information or conatct This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

DICOM

1. Are the Rendoscopy Software Packages able to send DICOM images to the PACS?
    

    

   Yes, the Rendoscopy Software Solutions are able to send images to the PACS, such as screendumps and reports, and communicatorfiles as well.
2. Which PACS vendors are supported by Rendoscopy´s Software?
    

    

   Every DICOM compatible PACS vendor is supported by Rendoscopy´s Software Solutions. Our customerscan use Rendoscopy successfully with PACS solutions from Siemens, GE,SECTRA, Agfa, Carestream (formerly Kodak Healthcare), Medos, Jive andmany others. Please contact Rendoscopy if you have any special requests: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Acquisition

1. Does Rendoscopy support every CT vendor?
    

    

   Yes, Rendoscopy supports every kind of CT vendor. However DICOM 2.0 and 3.0 must be the output of the CT. For other formats please contact Rendoscopy: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
2. What is the minimum number of CT slices that one has to use for Rendoscopy´s Virtual Colonoscopy Package?
    

    

   The minimum number of detector rows in your Multi-Detector CT device should be more than 4 slices. A single detector row CT is inadequate.

Purchasing Issues

1. In what kind of packages is the Rendoscopy Colon Software available?
    

    

   The Rendoscopy´s software packages are available as:

   1. Software only (for specified/defined hardware, including telephone installation & configuration support, DICOM network connecting support, and in order to get the DICOMs - send it to your PACS.)
   2. Pre-installed and pre-configured Software on high end DELL hardware, including 3y DELL´s Next Business Day Support
   3. Installation on-site
   4. Teaching on-site
   5. Technical and Medical Service and Support per year
   6. Software Upgradings per year or longer.

   Please contact Rendoscopy for details concerning quotations and prices: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

2. Is it possible to buy Rendoscopy Software without any hardware?
    

    

   Yes - the Rendoscopy software packages are available without hardware. The software-only package comes with the guarantee that the system can be installed and configured on hardware that is specified through Rendoscopy along with the guarantee that your site, with Rendoscopy´s help, will be able to connect the installed Rendoscopy Package to your given TCP/IP - DICOM network in order to receive DICOM data from your CT / PACS!

   The hardware requirements are: Windows XP32 or 64, 2 GB RAM Memory or more, NVIDIA graphics-card (recommended GeForce 7 or 8 Series or Quadro Family). Rendoscopy further recommends Dual Core Technology and an efficient hard-disk system.

   For additional requests, please do not hesitate to contact Rendoscopy directly: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

3. Which software components are available with Rendoscopy software packages - such as Gentle Colon?
    

    

   The Rendoscopy software packages, such as Gentle Colon, come available with the corresponding application: The Patient Management File System - the Patient History, DICOM tools and adatabase for the Patient History.

Computer Hardware

1. What are the hardware requirements for Rendoscopy's Software Tools?
    

    

   The hardware requirments are:

   Server Mode:

   1. Required: Minimum 1 GB RAM Memory (recommended 2 and more GB RAM)
   2. Required: Windows OS (recommended XP64 or XP32)
   3. Required: NVIDIA graphics card (Quadro or GeForce 7 or 8 Series, such as GeForce 7900 GT, 8600 GS, 8600 GTX, FX Family)
   4. Optional: Dual Core Technology of the CPUs
   5. Optional: Efficient and powerful harddisk system, such as SAS systems with RAID-0 or RAID-1

   
   Client Mode: Same as the Server

    

   Communicator Clients: X-Ray Demo Room, Endoscopic Unit, the rest of your intranet.

   1. Required: Minimum 1 GB RAM
   2. Required: Windows OS, XP32/64 (Vista not tested, but should run)
   3. Graphics card, nearly equal. Built-in graphics cards may encounter some problems. Recommendation: Take the starting cards with NVIDIA chipsets.