DCMDSM: a DICOM decomposed storage model.
OBJECTIVE
To design, build, and evaluate a storage model able to manage heterogeneous digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) images. The model must be simple, but flexible enough to accommodate variable content without structural modifications; must be effective on answering query/retrieval operations according to the DICOM standard; and must provide performance gains on querying/retrieving content to justify its adoption by image-related projects.


METHODS
The proposal adapts the original decomposed storage model, incorporating structural and organizational characteristics present in DICOM image files. Tag values are stored according to their data types/domains, in a schema built on top of a standard relational database management system (RDBMS). Evaluation includes storing heterogeneous DICOM images, querying metadata using a variable number of predicates, and retrieving full-content images for different hierarchical levels.


CONCLUSIONS
When compared to a well established DICOM image archive, the proposal is 0.6-7.2 times slower in storing content; however, in querying individual tags, it is about 48.0% faster. In querying groups of tags, DICOM decomposed storage model (DCMDSM) is outperformed in scenarios with a large number of tags and low selectivity (being 66.5% slower); however, when the number of tags is balanced with better selectivity predicates, the performance gains are up to 79.1%. In executing full-content retrieval, in turn, the proposal is about 48.3% faster.


CONCLUSIONS
DCMDSM is a model built for the storage of heterogeneous DICOM content, based on a straightforward database design. The results obtained through its evaluation attest its suitability as a storage layer for projects where DICOM images are stored once, and queried/retrieved whenever necessary.
Department of Computer Science-AG DBIS, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany Department of Informatics, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil National Institute for Digital Convergence, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Alexandre
A
Savaris
Department of Computer Science-AG DBIS, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Theo
T
Härder
Department of Informatics, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil National Institute for Digital Convergence, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Aldo
A
von Wangenheim
D003195:Computer Communication Networks; D003628:Database Management Systems; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D011873:Radiology Information Systems
Database Management Systems; Decomposed Storage Model; Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine; Information Storage and Retrieval