Digital Imaging and COmmunication in

Medicine (DICOM)

ผศ. รุจชัย อึ ้งอารุณยะวี

ภาควิชาวิศวกรรมคอมพิวเตอร์
คณะวิศวกรรมศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น
Email: rujchai@kku.ac.th
 Picture Archive and
Communication System: PACS

Based on DICOM
 The Parts of the DICOM Standard
• Part 1 - Introduction and Overview
• Part 2 - Conformance
• Part 3 - Information Object Definitions
• Part 4 - Service Class Definitions
• Part 5 - Data Structures & Semantics
• Part 6 - Data Element Listing and Typing
• Part 7 - Message Exchange Protocol
• Part 8 - Network Support for Message
Exchange
• Part 9 – Point to Point
DICOM 3.0
More than 100 supplements (extensions) to the Standard
provide additional capabilities
• Part 10: Media Storage and File Format for
Media Interchange
• Part 11: Media Storage Application Profiles
• Part 12: Media Formats and Physical Media
for Media Interchange
• Part 14: Grayscale Standard Display Function
• Part 15: Security and System Management
Profiles
• Part 16: Content Mapping Resource
• Part 17: Explanatory Information
• Part 18: Web Access to DICOM Persistent
Objects (WADO)
DICOM 2007
 DICOM History
► Based on ACR-NEMA standard
▪ ACR (American college of radiology)
▪ NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers
Association)
• 1982 - ACR and NEMA form a joint committee
• 1985 - Publication of Version 1.0
• 1988 - Compression and Mag Tape Standards
• 1988 - Publication of Version 2.0
• 1989 - Began work on Network Version with
HIS/RIS
 DICOM History (cont.)
• The name was changed to separate the standard
from the originating body
• 1991 - Release of Parts 1 and 8 of DICOM
• 1992 - RSNA demonstration, Part 8
• 1993 - DICOM Parts 1-9 approved,
RSNA demonstration of ALL parts
• 1994 - Part 10: Media Storage and File Format
• 1995 - Parts 11,12, and 13 plus Supplements

First successful DICOM Standard issued in 1993

DICOM is the ONLY standard in the world that covers the
exchange of medical images
 The DICOM File Format
► Header containing
▪ the patient's name / id
▪ type of media (CT, MRI, audio recording, etc.)
▪ image dimensions
▪ ...
► Body, containing «information objects»
▪ medical reports
▪ audio recordings
▪ images
A Typical DICOM Image File
DICOM Value Representations (VR)
• All DICOM attributes are formatted according
to 27 value representation (VR) types
Value Value
Description Description
Representation Representation

AE Application Entity OF Other Float

AS Age String OW Other Word

AT Attribute Tag PN Person Name

CS Code String SH Short String

DA Date SL Signed Long

DS Decimal String SQ Sequence of Items

DT Date/Time SS Signed Short

FL Floating Point Single (4 bytes) ST Short Text

Floating Point Double (8 TM Time
FD
bytes)
UI Unique Identifier
IS Integer String
UL Unsigned Long
LO Long String
UN Unknown
LT Long Text
US Unsigned Short
OB Other Byte
UT Unlimited Text
 DICOM Services
• DICOM data attributes can be transmitted and
processed between various DICOM devices
and software (Applications)
• DICOM applications provide services to each
other
• Particular services always associate with the
data (IODs) that they process.
• These associations are called Service-Object
Pairs (SOPs)
 Example: CT Storage SOP

• CT image = DICOM IOD (DICOM data object).

• CT Storage = DICOM Service
• CT Scanner = SCU (Service Class User)
• Digital Archive = SCP (Service Class Provider)
 Data Communication
• Information about each device is called
Presentation Context.
• Data transfer begins with Handshaking on the
presentation context.
• If the two applications can match their contexts,
they can connect and start SCU-SCP processing.
 DICOM Conformance Statement
• Each DICOM unit will be accompanied by its
own DICOM Conformance Statement from the
manufacturer
• This statement explains which SOPs (services)
the unit supports, and to what extent (SCU,
SCP, or both)
• For example, if you buy a digital archive that
supports only CT Storage SCU (does not
support CT Storage SCP) you won’t be able to
store CT images in it. The archive won’t be
able to provide the CT storage service.
End of Slides