title: XML-based DICOM data format.
abstract: To enhance the readability, improve the structure, and facilitate the sharing of digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) files, this research proposed one kind of XML-based DICOM data format. Because XML Schema offers great flexibility for expressing constraints on the content model of elements, we used it to describe the new format, thus making it consistent with the one originally defined by DICOM. Meanwhile, such schemas can be used in the creation and validation of the XML-encoded DICOM files, acting as a standard for data transmission and sharing on the Web. Upon defining the new data format, we started with representing a single data element and further improved the whole data structure with the method of modularization. In contrast to the original format, the new one possesses better structure without loss of related information. In addition, we demonstrated the application of XSLT and XQuery. All of the advantages mentioned above resulted from this new data format.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No.227 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Cong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D020407:Internet; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000458:organization & administration; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012984:Software; D018511:Systems Integration