This article demonstrates the use of the measurement mapping tool in EncaptureMD. This tool allows the end user to map measurements imported from a modality into number fields in EncaptureMD. Most fields are already mapped, but this tool allows for on-the-fly mapping of new or missed measurements.
Some modalities import measurements in tables. These measurements can be imported into tables in EncaptureMD.
It can also be used to manage non DICOM imports where a parser exists, e.g. hemodynamic systems.
Mapping usually works without issue. This document is for the rare times a measurement does not import.
Note: access to measurement mapping must be granted to the user by an administrator.
Work List Measurement Status
This column shows which studies have measurements associated. It makes it easy to diagnose issues when an import doesn't work.
From the work list, add the Measurement Status column if not already there. Look for any study with a measurement status, either available or imported and open it. (Note, now says "0 new, 1 imported")
Map
From the study top blue bar, click on the Measurement Mapper.
That opens the window below. The top part of the window shows a list of measurement files that have been imported and shows ways to import additional files or changes how the files are displayed. The bottom part is the editor for each of the files in the list at the top.
- First click on a measurement file. There may be more than one. It should have imported so when you click on it, you should see the contents of the file displayed in section (5) below.
- If the data has not imported (unusual) or data needs to be reimported but has been received through the interface, then click the +Import External Data button. See below for more detail
- Toggle the Show±24 hours (default) / Show all to find measurement files that may be older than 24 hours.
- If the measurement file is on the computer file system and has not come through the interface with PACS/Viewer, click Add Manually then find the measurement file on the file system using the system finder.
- The mapping shows on the bottom of the screen.
Import External Data
To find files that have not been automatically associated with a case ( # 2 above) click the +Import External Data button. All available but not imported files will be shown. This can be useful if the file exists but is mis-labeled. You can search on an exact match or, as a last resort, switch to show All unassociated files to look for all unassociated measurement files where the patient's name or ID are wrong.
Mapping
Once a measurement file has been opened, it can be mapped. If the map is new for this modality, all the measurements are in the Unmapped tab. As fields are mapped (by dragging them from the Unmapped list into the EncaptureMD end user interface and drop it onto a number field) they will disappear from Unmapped and appear on the Mapped tab.
DICOM SR measurements are made up of sub-tags. To see the sub tags, click the triangle as shown below to see these tags.
Two Ways to Map
There are 2 ways to map - generic and specific(whole key). Let's discuss specific first. Here are some example tags:
20352-1^LN[G-C0E3^SRT=T-35400^SRT[G-C048^SRT=R-42047^SRT]]
Mean Velocity [Aortic Valve [Antegrade Flow]]
To do a specific map, drag the whole key to the right. This is the easiest method and for any end-user mapping, we suggest this method. However, it is not as compatible with other DICOM SR from different machines or different revisions of the same machine so there is another way - using the individual tags. In the example above, the 3 tags are Mean Velocity | Aortic Valve | Antegrade Flow.
In this example, the field is not mapped to a whole tag. Instead it is mapped to the individual sub-tags. In this example, the whole key and the individually mapped sub-keys are equivalent. Both will work. But that is not always the case. Here is another example with some additional complexity
In this example, the first sub tag is the only one really needed to import the value. The other 3 are redundant or un-needed. Since EncaptureMD means the numbers itself, we want all the measurements to cross, not just the mean because the user may wish to delete one of the measurements. And some US machines will only send the mean value if there is only one measurement taken. And if the mean is sent along with all the other numbers, it does not change the overall value.
So with this method, any SR with the Left Atrium Antero-posterior Systolic Dimension will be imported whether they contain the other tags or not. This is much more likely to work with other modalities.
Using the Mapper
Inbound measurements are either Unmapped or Mapped. Start with the Unmapped list. If it has no values, either everything in that imported file is mapped or the file is without measurements. Once a measurement is mapped, it will disappear from the Unmapped list.
By default, duplicate measurements are suppressed. Duplicates occur when the operator measures the same thing more than one time. It only needs to be mapped once, however. If you do want to see the duplicates, slide the Show Duplicates to the right.
To see the sub-tags, click on the triangle. To ignore a measurement (it will never be mapped) right click and choose Ignore. These fields are still in the list, just hidden. To see them, click Show Hidden to see them.
The mapped tab shows all mapped measurements and can be filtered using the Search bar. The user can also select the field in the display and it will select here as well. The highlighted slider selects between only chosen or all.
Drag tags or sub-tags to the right as required for the mapping.
- Note that the whole tag (in the example below the first line that starts 2.18) can only dragged to Whole Keys.
- Any of the sub-tags can only be dragged to All of the following and below.
- Note the logic available. For a given measurement, if you wanted to , for example exclude the mean value, the put the mean key in the But does not have section and any mean measurement will be excluded from the import.
- The At Least One of the Following section is used when two different modalities send similar but not exactly the same tags. This is uncommon. But to use this, put in the sub tags common to both modalities into the All of the Following and then the different ones into the At Least One... section. If the tags have even less in common, use Whole Keys.
To see the mapping of a single field, use the search combo box over the mapping tool to find and select the field and then its map will be shown in the mapping tool on the right.
Import Log
The Import Log tab shows, for a given study, what fields were imported and what units were converted as needed. This is useful to debug problems that may have occurred during import.
Advanced Features
Right Click on Map
Right clicking on the map at the top yields methods to
- Import the chosen map back into the study. This is useful for testing a new map addition.
- Delete a map.
- Unlink it with this study to be linked with another study.
- Edit the XML of the file (Advanced).
- Download the DICOM SR for troubleshooting.
Edit XML
This is an advanced feature that requires knowledge of XML, DICOM SR and how mapping works. It can also be used to copy and paste XML from one study to another for testing.
