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Keeping up with DICOM. Harry Solomon GE Healthcare. DICOM is not Static. DICOM first published in 1993 Extended regularly to meet the expanding needs of Medical Imaging: Multi-slice CT 3D Ultrasound Web-based PACS USB Memory Sticks Clinical Measurements Radiation Dose Reporting
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Keeping up with DICOM Harry Solomon GE Healthcare
DICOM is not Static • DICOM first published in 1993 • Extended regularly to meet theexpanding needs of Medical Imaging: • Multi-slice CT • 3D Ultrasound • Web-based PACS • USB Memory Sticks • Clinical Measurements • Radiation Dose Reporting • Image Registration & Segmentation • Computer Aided Detection/Diagnosis • and Many, Many More . . .
DICOM Change Process • Supplements for major changes • New object types, new services, new compression schemes • About 10 / year • Developed by Working Groups • Require Work Item approved by DICOM Standards Committee • Change Proposals for minor corrections • About 100 / year • Anybody can submit • Backward Compatibility: Avoid changes that break existing implementations • Consolidated edition published every year • Most recently, January 2010 • Available free at DICOM web site • Vendors responsible for monitoring final text changes
Working Groups • Modality, clinical domain, or function specific teams, assigned to develop Supplements or Change Proposals
DICOM Change Process • Development of a Supplement : • Work Item Proposal • Reviewed / Approved by DICOM Standards Committee • Working Drafts • Developed by Working Groups, reviewed by DICOM WG-06 • Public Comment • Reviewed / Approved by DICOM WG-06 • Published for 45-day Comment Period • Letter Ballot • Reviewed / Approved by DICOM WG-06 • Voted on by DICOM Members • Final Text / Standard • Finalized by DICOM WG-06 • Effective immediately; consolidated during next publication • …typically a 1-2 year process
Maintaining Compatibility • Extension, not “Versioning” • DICOM is a family of SOP Classes • It’s just “DICOM”; Not DICOM 3.0, 3.1, etc. • Conformance is to SOP Classes, not to a ‘version’ of the Standard • New SOP Classes are added; old SOP Classes don’t change • Most applications continue to support older SOP Classes when supporting new ones • Association Negotiation • Software can determine if two systems are compatible • Happens each time two DICOM systems open an association (connection) • They negotiate which SOP Classes will be used, and how (e.g. Transfer Syntax) • Based on what each system supports and/or prefers • DICOM Conformance Statement (DCS): • Humans can determine if two systems are compatible • When purchasing, compare the new system to your currently installed systems “This product supports this list of SOP Classes; here are some details about how the SOP Classes have been implemented and how the system behaves when it uses them”
Enhanced Multi-Frame Images • “2nd Generation” objects for most modalities • Common approach to multi-frame, multi-dimension objects • New Attributes (Private->Public) • Acquisition details, Clinical details • New SOP Classes for CT, MR, XA, RF, PET, 3D-XR, 3D-US • New modalities start with this as baseline • Breast Tomo, Ophthalmic OCT, Intravascular OCT, Whole Slide • Benefits • Convenient handling of 1000+ slice studies • Faster transfers (orders of magnitude) • Advanced structure for faster, advanced display • Support for modern/advanced protocols • e.g. in CT/MR: cardiac, gating, perfusion, diffusion, angio, fluoro, multi-stack spine, spectroscopy, functional imaging, color, raw data, …
Fixed Header Dimension data Pixel data Per-frame header Multi-frame Architecture UsingSingle FrameObjects N Objects, N Headers UsingMulti-FrameObjects N Frames, One Header
Segmentation • New SOP Classes • Segmentation Image • Based on Pixels / Voxels • Binary (1-bit/pixel) or fractional(probability or occupancy) • Surface Segmentation • Based on 3D Mesh • May record multiple segments representing: • Tissue type, organ surface, etc. • Example use: • Workstation analyzes images; segments tumor • Segmentation object is stored to the PACS • Display station retrieves/displays segmentation;perhaps for surgical planning
Registration • New SOP Classes • Rigid/Affine Registration • Deformable Registration • Spatial Fiducials • Records one or both of: • Transformations to map one or more data sets(e.g. images) into the space of another data set • Fiducials used for the registration • Example use: • Modality or workstation spatially registers two datasets • Registration object is stored to the PACS • Display station retrieves and applies the transformation;displays fused images
Dose Reporting • New SOP Class • X-Ray Radiation Dose Structured Report • Templates for Projection X-Ray, Mammography, and CT • Records individual Irradiation Events • Does not depend on creation of digital images • Can be correlated with images for dose mapping • Driven by work of IEC and Euratom • IHE Radiation Exposure Monitoring Profile • Facilitates testing and deployment • Example Use: • Modality stores Dose Reports to PACS • Dose Monitoring system retrieves reports and generates weeklyanalysis of departmental dose; monitors compliance with policies
Application Hosting • New concept in DICOM:Portable applications withstandard API to host • Communication between independentcomponents on same system, not communication between systems • Technology: • Web Services / WSDL • Application launch, progress/status, suspend/cancel, complete • Access components of DICOM objects, or entire objects • Use cases: • Molecular imaging agent-specific processing; translational research • Third-party computer-aided detection or analysis applications • New SOP Classes
New Domain:Ophthalmology • New SOP Classes Ophthalmic Optical Coherence Tomography, Lensometry, Autorefraction, Subjective Refraction, Keratometry, Visual Acuity, Spectacle Prescription, Ophthalmic Axial Measurements, Visual Field Static Perimetry • Limited prior standardization • DICOM provides robust,consistent framework forimaging and measurements
New Domain:Anatomic Pathology • New SOP Class • Whole Slide Imaging : hierarchical tiled approach supports multi-gigabyte images • New module • Specimen Module : applied to all modalities that might image specimens • Allows management of specimens in workflow (Modality Worklist and Modality Performed Procedure Step) • Use cases: • Digital Pathology – imaging of whole slide allows softcopy review, remote consultation, computer-aided analysis • Radiology-Pathology Integrated Workflow (cancer diagnosis)
How can you keep up? • dicom.nema.org • Download the current issue of the Standard (free) • Both PDF and Word • Both normal and “Diff” version (showing changes from previous issue) • Monitor and Implement CPs (Change Items) • Keep your product current • Review New Supplements • Current documents are visible at all stages of the process • http://www.dclunie.com/dicom-status/status.html • Review the DICOM Strategy Document • Activity reports from all Working Groups • Attend the next DICOM International Conference and Seminar • Stay tuned!
How you can contribute! • Ask questions/discuss on the DICOM Newsgroup • http://groups.google.com/group/comp.protocols.dicom • Submit Change Proposals • if you find a gap, error, inconsistency or confusing text • mailto:hclark@medicalimaging.org • Respond to Supplements released for Public Comment • Feedback is particularly welcome during Public Comment period • http://www.dclunie.com/dicom-status/status.html • Join DICOM • Membership categories for users, vendors and national bodies • mailto:hclark@medicalimaging.org • Participate in the DICOM Standards Committee and Working Groups • Submit new Work Item proposals • Help develop new Supplements