PacsOne for non-traditional images??

[Tianlong]

I had successfully installed PacsOne premium edition on windows 2000 + mysql 5.0.18 + php 5.0.5 + apache 2.0.55 and currently working on configuring the server to receive images from the Application entities.

Most of the routine application entities are already served by our existing vendor, GE medical systems. So our objective with PacsOne is to bring in the non - traditional images like endoscopy snapshots, echocardiogram, ECG, EMG, histopathology and biopsy images, Clinical pathology slides. GE doesn't serve any of these and most of these image generating machines are non DICOM compatible.

I am grappling with the issue of getting these images into PacsOne server and then set up a weblink across the hospital. Question is which is the best way to go forward?

One solution that I am thinking is
1) Set up dicom converting software at each of the above modalities
- The attending physician would enter the patient details when prompted before dicom conversion.
2) Once converted, these images would then be sent to PacsOne server.

Firstly, I need to know whether this is the way or there are better methods to achieve the goals. If this is the way forward, I need assistance in either of the above two setups.

Your help would be greatly appreciated. If I can get through successfully, a new feather would be added to PacsOne.

[pacsone]

1. PacsOne is a Dicom compliant application but it does not accept non-Dicom images, which means you will need some converting application at these input modalities to convert the non-Dicom images into the corresponding Dicom storage SOP class images. It seems the best bet for finding such converting application would be the vendors of these input modalities where the non-Dicom images are created, you can also try searching the web for such converting tool for the particular type of non-Dicom images.

2. Once you find such converting tool and you can now convert from non-Dicom images into the corresponding Dicom storage SOP classes, e.g., endoscopy, echocardiogram, etc. Then you can check the Dicom conformance statement of PacsOne Server:

http://www.pacsone.net/conformance.htm

and see if those storage SOP classes are supproted by PacsOne. If not, we will be glad to add support for such Dicom SOP classes with relatively quick turn-around time (comparing to GE), if you can provide us with a sample image of such storage SOP class.

[Tianlong]

I want to split the issue into two distinct components
1) Transferring the converted images to PacsOne server
2) Actual conversion where the SOP issue crops up.

1) For the first part, I have downloaded a bunch of MRI images in jpeg format in a client machine. Now, how do I configure this client PC as a Application entity for PacsOne? Is it the same way as it is for a modality or do we need any other software like CTN's send_image etc.

If it is former, what are the parameters that needs to be configured. I see from the AE configuration page that we need to set up IP address, host name and port details. Can you please give me a run down on the specific port configuration details.

2) After I cross this stage and enter the beta testing of GI endoscopy, I would mail you the images for sorting out SOP classes.

Thank you.

[pacsone]

When configuring a Dicom Application Entity (AE), only the AE Title and the hostname/IP address information are required. If this AE can accept/receive incoming connections, you'll also need to configure a TCP port number which this AE listens to for incoming connections.

All of these information (AE Title, hostname/IP address, TCP port) are standard for any Dicom application, so they're not specific to PacsOne.

[Tianlong]

Thanks for the reply.

I am stating the problem again. Most of the non-traditional image generating modalities are not Dicom compatible as of now. Most of these are connected to a simple PC with a video grabber card.

Investments for upgrading the infrastructure towards DICOM compatibility via the vendor route is a continuous and time consuming procedure. In addition, costs involved are very high as we are the largest healthcare set up in Asia pacific with an extremely large number of modalities.

Challenge is to bypass the vendors and yet have a solution where non-traditional images can be brought into the fold of PACS server.

In short, after converting the jpeg images into .dcm format using dicom converters in each of these PCs (having video grabber cards and connected to the image generating modality), how do we push these images into PacsOne server?

[pacsone]

In short, after converting the jpeg images into .dcm format using dicom converters in each of these PCs (having video grabber cards and connected to the image generating modality), how do we push these images into PacsOne server?

Once you have converted the original images into Dicom formatted images (.dcm files), you can use any Dicom storage application to send them over to PacsOne. For example, some of the free/open-source storage clients are CTN's send_image or DCMTK's storescu.exe.

Another way is to import the converted Dicom images into PacsOne by using the Import function of PacsOne Server from the Tools page.