title: Specifying DICOM compliance for modality interfaces.
abstract: For picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) to be successful, they must be able to acquire image data from imaging devices and integrate this information into a PACS data base. Substantial effort has been invested in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard to define a standard network interface and data model for imaging devices that can facilitate information systems integration. A communication standard cannot ensure multivendor interoperability. Necessary implementation-specific requirements are beyond the scope of a standard but not of a user-generated conformance statement. A DICOM user conformance profile (UCP) is a formal statement drafted by a potential purchaser of medical imaging equipment to state clearly the subset of DICOM functionality that shall be provided by a potential vendor. The UCP specifies the service classes, information objects, and communication protocols to be supported by the implementation. A modality interface UCP presented by the author permits scheduling and demographic information to be communicated to an imaging modality and allows images to be stored in a PACS. The UCP also ensures an unambiguous notification of the end of a study and proper communication of image data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey 17033.
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Prior
mesh_terms: D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000592:standards*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D011873:Radiology Information Systems / Q000592:standards*