1. A computer-based method for generating a medical imaging study report comprising the steps of: storing a medical imaging report generation database in a computer readable medium, the medical imaging report generation database containing one or more of the following: (a) phrases relevant to a plurality of image study types interpreted in a medical imaging study, (b) relationships between those phrases, and (c) templates consisting of a set of such phrases, and/or (d) the full text of previously authored reports from within and/or outside of the system, from which phrase suggestions can be derived; storing executable computer code in a computer processor linked to the computer readable medium; generating, by executing the computer code using the computer processor, a medical imaging study report for display on a computer display device, using the stored report generation database, wherein the medical imaging study report contains an architecture accommodating one or more text fields; generating by executing the computer code using the computer processor, a plurality of study types for display to the user via a user-output device; upon the user selecting a study type via a user-input device, providing by executing the computer code using the computer processor, one or more suggested first phrases of potential interest from the report generation database based on the selected study type, and/or by a template selected by the user, to the user via the use-output device; upon the user selecting one or more first phrases via the user-input device, providing via the user-output device by executing the computer code using the computer processor, one or more suggested related phrases of potential interest from the report generation database based on the selected first phrases; upon the user selecting one or more related phrases via the user-input device, and/or the user inputting any other desired arbitrary text into the report, applying by executing the computer code using the computer processor, one or more inclusion rules based on patterns of use, to the one or more selected first phrases, and/or by applying pattern-matching rules to identify potentially useful text from other reports stored in the previously authored radiology report database, and presenting the one or more suggested phrases to the user via a user-output device; applying via the user-output device, by executing the computer code using the computer processor, one or more exclusion rules based on patterns of usage to the one or more first phrases and/or the one or more related phrases and/or the report in progress to identify one or more excluded phrases to be excluded from the report; and generating a report resulting from these processes to be sent to the report output device.
1. A computer-based method for generating a medical imaging study report comprising the steps of: storing a medical imaging report generation database in a computer readable medium, the medical imaging report generation database containing one or more of the following: (a) phrases relevant to a plurality of image study types interpreted in a medical imaging study, (b) relationships between those phrases, and (c) templates consisting of a set of such phrases, and/or (d) the full text of previously authored reports from within and/or outside of the system, from which phrase suggestions can be derived; storing executable computer code in a computer processor linked to the computer readable medium; generating, by executing the computer code using the computer processor, a medical imaging study report for display on a computer display device, using the stored report generation database, wherein the medical imaging study report contains an architecture accommodating one or more text fields; generating by executing the computer code using the computer processor, a plurality of study types for display to the user via a user-output device; upon the user selecting a study type via a user-input device, providing by executing the computer code using the computer processor, one or more suggested first phrases of potential interest from the report generation database based on the selected study type, and/or by a template selected by the user, to the user via the use-output device; upon the user selecting one or more first phrases via the user-input device, providing via the user-output device by executing the computer code using the computer processor, one or more suggested related phrases of potential interest from the report generation database based on the selected first phrases; upon the user selecting one or more related phrases via the user-input device, and/or the user inputting any other desired arbitrary text into the report, applying by executing the computer code using the computer processor, one or more inclusion rules based on patterns of use, to the one or more selected first phrases, and/or by applying pattern-matching rules to identify potentially useful text from other reports stored in the previously authored radiology report database, and presenting the one or more suggested phrases to the user via a user-output device; applying via the user-output device, by executing the computer code using the computer processor, one or more exclusion rules based on patterns of usage to the one or more first phrases and/or the one or more related phrases and/or the report in progress to identify one or more excluded phrases to be excluded from the report; and generating a report resulting from these processes to be sent to the report output device. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the one or more text fields are populated by one or more templates, each template containing a set of phrases relevant to the study type selected.