title: Development of a next-generation automated DICOM processing system in a PACS-less research environment.
abstract: The use of clinical imaging modalities within the pharmaceutical research space provides value and challenges. Typical clinical settings will utilize a Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS) to transmit and manage Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images generated by clinical imaging systems. However, a PACS is complex and provides many features that are not required within a research setting, making it difficult to generate a business case and determine the return on investment. We have developed a next-generation DICOM processing system using open-source software, commodity server hardware such as Apple Xserve®, high-performance network-attached storage (NAS), and in-house-developed preprocessing programs. DICOM-transmitted files are arranged in a flat file folder hierarchy easily accessible via our downstream analysis tools and a standard file browser. This next-generation system had a minimal construction cost due to the reuse of all the components from our first-generation system with the addition of a second server for a few thousand dollars. Performance metrics were gathered and the system was found to be highly scalable, performed significantly better than the first-generation system, is modular, has satisfactory image integrity, and is easier to maintain than the first-generation system. The resulting system is also portable across platforms and utilizes minimal hardware resources, allowing for easier upgrades and migration to smaller form factors at the hardware end-of-life. This system has been in production successfully for 8 months and services five clinical instruments and three pre-clinical instruments. This system has provided us with the necessary DICOM C-Store functionality, eliminating the need for a clinical PACS for day-to-day image processing.
authors.affiliation: Merck & Co., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA. scott_ziegler@merck.com
authors.forename: Scott E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Ziegler
mesh_terms: D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000639:trends; D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000639:trends*; D019992:Databases as Topic; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D001330:Electronic Data Processing / Q000379:methods*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D011873:Radiology Information Systems / Q000295:instrumentation; D012984:Software