OPAL 2.2 updated major new functions which were introduced in version 2.1.

The changes for 2.2 from 2.1 focussed on:

• a need to cope better with the increasingly common situation where a computer does not have a COM port.
• a need to address a potential scaling problem when dumping previously-digitised coordinates to create a new tracing.
• a need to update the HELP in some areas.

• IMAGE MORPHING.
  A photograph of a patient's profile can be automatically 'morphed' in step with changes to a corresponding overlaid cephalometric tracing. As a consequence, it is possible to give an idea as to how the patient's appearance will change as a result of surgical procedures.
• PREDICTION MONTAGE.
  A new type of montage displaying just two photographs side by side. Typically, the left hand image will be an original profile photograph and the right hand image will be a morphed prediction image based on the original profile.
• IMAGE AND TRACING SAVE HELPER.
  This feature assists with the saving of morphed images in a prediction montage and the corresponding prediction tracing - attempting to give them both the same new corresponding label and short description.
• DATASET RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUTCOME AUDIT FOR ORTHOGNATHIC PATIENTS.
  This is provided through the generation of standard documents, based on templates, filling in certain fields automatically. As distributed, two template documents are provided, namely 'Surgical Orthodontic Analysis' and 'Surgical Orthodontic Minimum Dataset'. The first of these enables easy auditing of the cephalometric outcome of orthognathic treatment and the second assists the full collection of the data recommended by BOS and BAOMS for these patients.

OpalImage 2.0 incorporated major new functions over previous versions.

• A COMPLETELY NEW FILE STRUCTURE
  Although largely 'invisible', this is a powerful tool for increased robustness and flexibility.
• ON-SCREEN DIGITISING
  OpalImage 2.0 supports digitising cephalometric radiographs on-screen. Digitising for clinical purposes does not require a (potentially expensive) digitising tablet.
• SUPERIMPOSITION OF A TRACING ON A PATIENT PROFILE PHOTOGRAPH
  A cephalometric tracing can be overlaid on a photograph of the profile of a patient by dragging and dropping. The tracing is automatically aligned using selected common reference points.
• IMAGE ENHANCEMENT within OPAL-Image.
  The Opal image viewer can adjust contrast, brightness, hue, colour and intensity curves on the whole image or any selected region. This can be done even in the middle of on-screen digitising to help make points and outlines clearer.
• ARTISTIC MODIFICATION OF OUTLINES.
  Outlines can be adjusted by hand using various tools to better represent the probable current or predicted profile.
• SEARCH FUNCTION.
  The database has an easy and capable search capacity for finding patients or individual files within patient folders with chosen features.
• DATES IN NEW INTERNATIONAL STANDARD FORMAT (ISO-8601).
  Although less familiar in every-day use in the U.K., this avoids international confusions and permits more logical sorting of files in date order using any program.

As the name suggests, this version introduced the capability to store and display sets of images (photos, x-rays, study casts etc.) conveniently with the 'tracings' in patient folders. The images are collated as standard montages of images, for example, a standard set of eight photographis: "Profile", "Facial", "Smile", "Upper", "Lower", "Left", "Front" and "Right". The image sets can be given stage labels (e.g. "start", "pre-op" or "6 months post-op") in order to associate them with other data relating to the same stage. Images can be dragged and dropped into the montage. Double-clicking on an image in a montage causes the full-size image to be opened (using the default application for JPEG files).

Also introduced in version 1.3 was the facility to export point coordinates and cephalometric values in a format compatible with many spreadsheets and other data analysis tools. The set of points and cephalometric values to include in exported files is fully and very easily configurable. Using this facility, a set of data from multiple x-rays and multiple patients can be easily gathered, using only your mouse, into one spreadsheet for statistical analysis.

OpalImage 1.3 provided enhanced network performance (to run on a client-server basis). Multiple, simultaneous use of OPAL was therefore possible. Also access (password protected) to OPAL data via a web browser from computers on the network without OPAL was provided.

This release introduced the capability to display and print tracings using dashed or dotted lines. Previously Opal only provided selection of thickness and colour of solid outlines.

This release introduced the ability to use Opal from multiple PC's on a network. In addition, Opal was made slightly more user-friendly.

By default Opal 1.2 accesses its data 'locally' in the same fashion as Opal 1.1. Part of the Opal 1.2 package is a 'server' program which can be run on a designated Windows NT or Windows 95/98 PC to provide centralised data to 'client' Opal 1.2 programs. A Linux version of the Opal 1.2 server is also available for anyone interested. Opal 1.2 includes a command line client utility 'opalcli' which can be used to check network setup, check and correct the Opal 'filesystem' and help relocate Opal data.

The Opal 1.2 package also includes a couple of communications diagnostic programs to help identify problems getting the digitising tablet to work with Opal.

Other improvements...

• Helpful prompts when trying to use an Opal folder without a valid path.
• Better navigation (especially keyboard drivability) in Opal Help.

This was primarily a bug fix release to correct a couple of problems in version 1.0...

• Corrected rotation of lower incisor about its tip.
• Corrected calculation of Gonion.
• Added two new points InfMnT (inferior mandibular tangent) and PostMnT (posterior mandibular tangent). These construction points for Gonion can be displayed as 'Selected' points.
• Corrected 'File|New...' in Opal to automatically create disk folder for new document.
• Added large button toolbars to Opal xray viewer (opalxray) which can be used in combination with standard size toolbars.
• Printer paper orientation and size are now 'sticky' - i.e. if you set the printer to A4 landscape in an Opal application it will keep that setting (for that application).

If you are curious about OPAL's beginnings, have a look at the History page.