What is DICOM?

DICOM stands for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine.  This is an industry used protocol for encapsulating, handling, printing, storing and sending medical images across a computer based network.

DICOM uses TCP/IP in order to communicate between systems.  Because DICOM is a NEMA standard any system capable of interpreting DICOM can be used regardless of which vendor it is.  HL7 is another common standard you will find in a digital healthcare environment.  HL7 is used mostly for transmitting non-image data.

Simply put, a CT Scanner for example, could electronically send study images to a DICOM compliant computer workstation for a radiologist or clinician to or and interpret.

As film-less radiography became more pervasive a standard was needed to allow the integration of modalities, severs, workstations, scanners and other computer based peripherals to communicate.  These devices are commonly found in a PACS (Picture Archive and Communications Systems) environment.

Each DICOM device has a conformance statement that outlines what services and capabilities it has.  For example not all devices will be able to ‘STORE’ DICOM images, so they won’t have that in their conformance statement.

DICOM enables the integration of scanners, servers, workstations, printers, and network hardware from multiple manufacturers into a picture archiving and communication system (PACS). The different devices come with DICOM conformance statements which clearly state which DICOM classes they support. DICOM has been widely adopted byhospitals and is making inroads in smaller applications like dentists’ and doctors’ offices.

Typical PACS Network which includes DICOM devices that send, store and print DICOM images.

Here’s a couple of great resources on DICOM and PACS  that I found on Amazon.com.  Great tools…

You must be logged in to post a comment Login