DICOM
DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is the industry standard for transferral of radiologic images and other medical information between computers. Patterned after the Open System Interconnection of the International Standards Organization, DICOM enables digital communication between diagnostic and therapeutic equipment and systems from various manufacturers.
Such connectivity is important to cost-effectiveness in health care. DICOM users can provide radiology services within facilities and across geographic regions, gain maximum benefit from existing resources, and keep costs down through compatibility of new equipment and systems. For example, workstations, CT scanners, MR imagers, film digitizers, shared archives, laser printers, and host computers and mainframes made by multiple vendors and located at one site or many sites can "talk to one another" by means of DICOM across an "open-system" network. As a result, medical images can be captured and communicated more quickly, physicians can make diagnoses sooner, and treatment decisions can be made sooner. Contact us today to see how your facility (big or small) can benefit from
the easy transfer file system that Amber Diagnostics has to offer.
DICOM Data Format
DICOM differs from other data formats in that it groups information into data sets. That means that a file of an X-Ray of a chest, for example, actually contains the patient ID within the file, so that the image can never be separated from this information by mistake.
A DICOM data object consists of a number of attributes, including items such as name, ID, etc., and also one special attribute containing the image pixel data (i.e. logically, the main object has no "header" as such - merely a list of attributes, including the pixel data). A single DICOM object can only contain one attribute containing pixel data. For many modalities, this corresponds to a single image. But note that the attribute may contain multiple "frames", allowing storage of cine loops or other multi-frame data. Another example is NM data, where an NM image by definition is a multi-dimensional multi-frame image. In these cases three- or four-dimensional data can be encapsulated in a single DICOM object. Pixel data can be compressed using a variety of standards, including JPEG, JPEG Lossless, JPEG 2000, and Run-length encoding (RLE). |
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The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard was created by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) to aid the distribution and viewing of medical images, such as CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasound.
What is DICOM?
DICOM is a global Information Technology standard that is used in virtually all hospitals worldwide. Its current structure, which was developed in 1993, is designed to ensure the interoperability of systems used to: Produce, Store, Display, Process, Send, Retrieve, Query or Print medical images and derived structured documents as well as to manage related workflow.
Who needs DICOM?
Hospitals, clinics, imaging centers and specialists. By purchasing only equip-ment and information systems that con-form to the DICOM Standard, you can ensure that these tools will work together to produce, manage and distribute your images regardless of your previous, current or future vendors.
Who Benefits from DICOM?
Physicians have better access to images and reports when DICOM standards are in place. This allows them to make a faster diagnosis, potentially from anywhere in the world. Patients can potentially obtain faster and more effective care when the DICOM Standard is used to send their information through the healthcare enterprise. Payers benefit from this faster and more effective process through potentially lowered cost of care.
Which medical specialties rely on DICOM?
DICOM is used in: · radiology · breast imaging · cardiology · radiotherapy · oncology · ophthalmology · dentistry · pathology · surgery · veterinary · neurology · pneumology |
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