 As
technology advances, many hospitals and medical facilities are converting
from conventional radiology that uses film to a Picture Archiving
and Communications System or PACS. PACS are now being installed in
Medical Imaging Departments. This new technology utilizes a filmless
system in which all images are archived on computers in Digital Imaging
and Communications in Medicine or DICOM format. This benefits hospitals
by not having to store films in a film library or outside facility,
and also allows for easy retrieval of patient exams.
In order to keep up with advancing technology, we have installed
a PACS station in our office along with a high quality digitizer
and a DICOM laser camera that prints x-ray films. This enables us
to receive medical images via a high speed private DSL line from
any facility that chooses to align with us. We can import DICOM
images into our station as well from your CDs allowing us to transfer
images onto x-ray film.
Keep in mind that if medical images are stored in a tiff or jpeg
format, they can only be transferred to another CD, printed on paper
or used in a presentation. True DICOM protocol images from a PACS
system must include both DICOM tags and directory in order to be
recognized and imported into a PACS station. Once imported, images
may be printed onto x-ray film. Some versions of software do not
burn the DICOM tags and directory on a CD and these images cannot
be imported into a PACS station; images can only be viewed on a
monitor but not printed on to film. True DICOM images are compatible
with all phases of DICOM technology and PACS systems.
This security system used by the medical community protects medical
images from being manipulated once in DICOM format. Tiff or jpeg
images can be manipulated; therefore, they will not print to film.
Please contact us with any additional questions you may have regarding
this new technology.
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