Network infrastructure for a large radiology environment

As image transmission becomes a more important part of the way radiology departments operate, the need for a high speed network infrastructure has become more important. We have installed a high speed network in the department that uses the latest Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networking technology combined with Ethernet switching. This network combination is capable of handling a tremendous amount of data traffic while maintaining compatibility with the existing Ethernet environment. These network changes have significantly improved Ethernet throughput on some of the most heavily used segments of the network by effectively isolating common traffic onto different network segments using new network management software and capabilities that are the result of the ATM backbone. Additional capabilities have allowed us to provide a number of serves that would not have been available using older techniques and architecture. Careful planning of the network before any new installations or changes is important for overall network and traffic management. The installation of this high speed network has allowed us to make imaging within the department and throughout the Medical Center and the connected region a reality.

Duke Scholars

Author Carl Eric Ravin Radiology, Cardiothoracic Imaging