Purpose
Efficient Storage Retrieval And Advanced Visualization Of Medical Images | Bridge Between Acquisition Modalities And Reporting
Core Components
Modalities (CT MRI US XR) | PACS Server | DICOM Router | Workstations And Viewers | Archive And Backup
Users
Radiologists Technologists Referrers And IT Support
Search By MRN Accession Or Name
Use Patient Identifiers And Accession Numbers To Retrieve Studies | Verify Demographics And Side Markers Before Interpretation
Automated Layouts For Efficiency
Configure Hanging Protocols To Display Relevant Series Side By Side | Use Modality Specific Presets For CT MRI And Mammography
Prior Studies And Fusion
Load Prior Exams For Temporal Comparison | Use Fusion Tools To Overlay PET CT Or Prior MR For Localization
Adjust For Tissue Contrast
Use Preset Windows For Lung Bone Soft Tissue | Fine Tune Window Width And Level To Highlight Subtle Findings
Focus On Region Of Interest
Use Zoom For Small Lesions And Pan To Maintain Orientation | Rotate For Better Anatomical Alignment In 2D Views
Improve Perceived Sharpness
Apply Noise Reduction Or Edge Enhancement Sparingly | Understand That Excessive Filtering Can Create Artifacts
Coronal Sagittal And Oblique Views
Reconstruct Thin Axial Data Into Coronal Sagittal And Oblique Planes | Use Isotropic Voxels For High Quality Reformats
Vascular And Airway Evaluation
Maximum Intensity Projection For Vascular Structures And Pulmonary Nodules | Minimum Intensity Projection For Airway And Low Attenuation Structures
Preoperative Planning And Education
Volume Rendered Images For Surgical Planning Orthopedics And Vascular Cases | Adjust Transfer Function And Opacity To Emphasize Structures
Calipers And ROI Tools
Use Calipers For Lesion Size And Area Tools For Organ Measurements | Record Plane And Window Settings For Reproducibility
Automated And Manual Methods
Use Semi Automated Segmentation For Tumor Volumes Liver Spleen And Lung Nodule Tracking | Verify And Edit Automated Contours Manually
CT Attenuation Values
Place ROI For Hounsfield Unit Measurements | Document ROI Size Location And Phase (Pre/Post Contrast)
Patient Study Series And Image Metadata
Understand Key DICOM Fields (Patient ID Accession Study UID Series UID) | Use Metadata To Troubleshoot Matching And Routing Issues
Short Term And Long Term Storage
Follow Institutional Retention Policies | Ensure Redundant Backups And Off Site Archives For Disaster Recovery
PHI Protection And Access Controls
Use Role Based Access Audit Trails And Encryption For Data In Transit And At Rest | Deidentify Studies For Teaching And Research
DICOM CD PDF And JPEG
Export Studies As DICOM For Transfer Between Sites | Use PDF Or JPEG For Quick Clinical Sharing While Preserving Key Images And Measurements
Templates And Key Findings
Use Structured Report Templates To Ensure Consistent Communication | Include Technique Comparison And Critical Findings Section
Permanent Versus Soft Labels
Prefer Soft Annotations Stored In DICOM Over Burned In Text When Possible | If Burned In Labels Are Used, Document In Report
Viewer And Network Connectivity
Verify Viewer Launch And Access To Recent Studies | Check Network Latency And Storage Availability
Missing Studies And Mismatched IDs
Troubleshoot With DICOM Logs Verify AE Titles And Routing Rules | Reconcile Patient Demographics And Use Merge Tools When Needed
Cache And Prefetch Strategies
Use Prefetch For Scheduled Reads And Cache Frequently Accessed Series To Improve Load Times | Coordinate With IT For Storage Tiering
PACS
Picture Archiving And Communication System | Centralized Storage And Retrieval For Medical Images
DICOM
Digital Imaging And Communications In Medicine | Standard For Medical Image Data And Metadata
Hanging Protocol
Predefined Layout For Displaying Series On A Viewer
MPR
Multiplanar Reformatting | Reconstructing 2D Planes From Volumetric Data
Volume Rendering
3D Visualization Technique That Maps Voxel Intensity To Color And Opacity