Hitachi Aperto: patient database fills up over time
What happened
Over time the workstation's patient database kept growing until free space ran out; eventually new studies could not be saved until the database was cleared. As reported, the problem developed gradually during normal use of the scanner.
What was checked
- The engineers confirmed the symptom was storage-related: the workstation showed a growing patient database with less and less free space, while the scanner itself imaged normally.
- They checked the console's disk and software state for other faults and ruled out a hardware drive problem before treating this as a database-limit issue.
- Before any database work, completed studies were exported/archived off the console and the backup was verified as readable.
Cause
As reported, this is a factory (system) limitation of the Hitachi workstation software: the patient database has a fixed capacity that fills up with use. It is not a hardware fault, and a similar limit was reported on a Hitachi Lucent of the same class.
What was done
The working remedy in this case was the documented route: the workstation software was reinstalled and the system restored from a service backup to rebuild and empty the patient database — a procedure from the manufacturer's service documentation, done by authorised personnel. To keep the symptom from returning, set up routine archiving of completed studies off the console and periodic database cleanup well before the limit is reached; any unofficial add-on that expands the database limit touches system software and was not treated as a safe option.
Safety
After any software or database work on the console, let the MRI complete its full start-up self-test and, if any covers were opened, an electrical safety test before the scanner is returned to clinical use.
Lesson: Treat a filling patient database as routine preventive maintenance — archive studies off the console on a schedule instead of waiting until the workstation runs out of space.
Covered in the course: MRI Service — Level 2: Fault-Finding →
Written from an anonymised case shared by service engineers. It is not a manufacturer instruction and grants no authorisation. Independent note; names are trademarks of their owners.