2. INTRODUCTION AND HISTORIC
PERSPECTIVE
• Digital imaging and communications in medicine also
called DICOM is a standard utilized for
communicating and managing the medical imaging
data and related information.
• The American college of radiology and National
electrical manufacturers association (NEMA)
recogized need for a standard method for
transferring images and information between devices
manufactured by various vendors.
3. INTRODUCTION AND HISTORIC
PERSPECTIVE
• In 1983 the ACR and NEMA formed a joint to develop
DICOM.
• These devices produce a variety of digital image
formats.
• The DICOM standard relates to the field of
healthcare medical informatics.
• It’s a vital standard utilized for integrating radiology
imaging systems and the equipment that is used in
digital radiology.
4. INTRODUCTION AND HISTORIC
PERSPECTIVE
• DICOM files can be exchanged between two entities that
are equipped for accepting DICOM images and patient
information in DICOM format.
• within this field, it address the exchange of digital
information between medical imaging equipment and
different frameworks.
• DICOM determines a non-proprietary data interchange
convention, digital image format, and file structure for
biomedical images and image related information.
5. INTRODUCTION AND HISTORIC
PERSPECTIVE
• DICOM works by modeling the image acquisition
process and information objects related to the
imaging.
• It gives a specification to how image data, metadata
and related information object are represented in a
binary format and communicated over computer
networks.
• DICOM has been succesfully incorporated
throughout all the medical imaging industry.
6. What form DICOM -?
• Any DICOM medical image consist of two parts – a
header and the actual image itself.
• The header consist of data that describes the image,
the most important being patient data.
• Demographic information of a patient such as
patients’ name, age, gender, and date of birth.
• The header may also give Information on image
chracteristics such as acquisition parameteres, pixel
intensity, matrix size, and dimensions of the image.
7. What form DICOM -?
• If file explorer is opened to view DICOM medical
imaging data, the header can give patient and image
information.
• The header is usually coded to the image so that the
patient to whom the image belongs can easily be
identified.
• The header may sometime be lost if the DICOM file is
exported to other formats, such as JPEG.
8. • DICOM addresses five general application areas
1. Network image management
2. Network image interpretation management
3. Network print management
4. Imaging procedure management
5. Off-line storage media management.
10. PURPOSE OF DICOM
1. Promote the communication of digital image
information, regardless of the device manufacturer.
2. Facilitate the development and expansion of picture
archiving and communication system (PACS) that
can be also interface with other hospital
information systems.
3. Allow the creation of diagnostics information
databases that can be interrogated by a wide
variety of devices distributed geographically
11. BENEFITS OF DICOM
• Using DICOM images, healthcare professionals,
physicians and radiologists can now use secure
protocols in dealing with confidential image data.
• It allow the capacity to view such images discreetly
and immediately evading the duplication costs and
reducing unnecessary radiation to patients.
• DICOM improve communication within the industry
by electronically exchange medical information
between physicians and patients.
13. CHALLENGES OF DICOM
• Medical system are very expensive and most of them
are imported.
• Hospital/clinics looks for alternative to reduce cost
by purchasing old and refurbished equipment with
no digital and networking capabilities.
14. • Purchasing the required licenses for DICOM and
continue to buy and use analogue imaging devices.
• Rural areas have very limited access to electricity and
network.
15. CHALLENGES OF DICOM
• Referral doctors do not have computer in their
offices, they would prefer the patients to bring films
and paper reports instead of CDs/DVD.
• DICOM communication over WAN is still huge
challenge for tele- radiology applications due to
irregular network connectivity.
16. • Hospital staffs not much aware of DICOM standards
and their importance.
• While purchasing medical equipment DICOM
features are not given proper consideration
17. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
• DICOM focuses on workflow of images in healthcare.
• It provide reliable protocols for integration of image
data between imaging, non-imaging modalities,
devices and systems.
• The functional elements broadly comprise of
protocols, objects, services and service class .
