Methods Inf Med 2005; 44(01): 114-123
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1633929
Original Article
Schattauer GmbH

Integrated Software Suite for Magnetocardio-graphic Data Analysis

A Proposal Based on an Interactive Programming Environment
S. Comani
1   Department of Clinical Sciences and Bio-imaging, Section of Physical Sciences, Chieti University, Italy
2   Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB) – University Foundation “G. D’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
,
D. Mantini
3   Department of Informatics and Automation Engineering, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
,
B. Merlino
4   Institute of Radiology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy
,
M. Reale
5   Department of Oncology and Neuroscience, Chieti University, Italy
,
S. Di Luzio
1   Department of Clinical Sciences and Bio-imaging, Section of Physical Sciences, Chieti University, Italy
2   Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB) – University Foundation “G. D’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
,
G. L. Romani
1   Department of Clinical Sciences and Bio-imaging, Section of Physical Sciences, Chieti University, Italy
2   Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB) – University Foundation “G. D’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 30 April 2004

accepted 13 October 2004

Publication Date:
06 February 2018 (online)

Summary

Objectives: This paper describes an integrated software suite (ISS) for the processing of magnetocardiographic (MCG) recordings obtained with super-conducting multi-channel systems having different characteristics. We aimed to develop a highly flexible suite including toolboxes for current MCG applications, organized consistently with an open architecture that allows function integrations and upgrades with minimal modifications; the suite was designed for the compliance not only of physicists and engineers but also of physicians, who have a different professional profile and are accustomed to retrieve information in different ways.

Methods: The MCG-ISS was designed to work with all common graphical user interface operative systems. MATLAB was chosen as the interactive programming environment (IPE), and the software was developed to achieve usability, interactivity, reliability, modularity, expansibility, interoperability, adaptability and graphics style tailoring. Three users, already experienced in MCG data analysis, have intensively tested MCG-ISS for six months. A great amount of MCG data on normal subjects and patients was used to assess software performances in terms of user compliance and confidence and total analysis time.

Results: The proposed suite is an all-in-one analysis tool that succeeded in speeding MCG data analysis up to about 55% with respect to standard reference routines; it consequently enhanced analysis performance and user compliance.

Conclusions: Those results, together with the MCG-ISS advantage of being independent on the acquisition system, suggest that software suites like the proposed one could uphold a wider diffusion of MCG as a diagnostic tool in the clinical setting.

 
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