The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard was
developed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the
American College of Radiology (ACR) for medical image archiving and retrieval. An
extension to this implemented a standard named DICOM-RT for use in Radiation
Oncology. There are currently seven radiotherapy-specific DICOM objects which
include: RT Structure Set, RT Plan, RT Dose, RT Image, RT Beams Treatment Record,
RT Brachy Treatment Record, and RT Treatment Summary Record. The type of data
associated with DICOM-RT includes (1) Radiation treatment planning datasets (CT,
MRI, PET) with radiation treatment plans showing beam arrangements, isodose
distributions, and dose volume histograms of targets/normal tissues and (2) Image-guided
radiation modalities such as Siemens MVision mega-voltage cone beam CT (MV-CBCT).
With the advent of such advancing technologies, there has been an exponential increase
in image data collected for each patient, and the need for reliable and accessible image
storage has become critical. A potential solution is a Radiation Oncology specific picture
archiving and communication systems (PACS) that would allow data storage from
multiple vendor devices and support the storage and retrieval needs not only of a single
site but of a large, multi-facility network of radiation oncology clinics. This PACS
system must be reliable, expandable, and cost-effective to operate while protecting
sensitive patient image information in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA) compliant environment. This paper emphasizes the expanding DICOM-RT
storage requirements across our network of 8 radiation oncology clinics and the
initiatives we undertook to address the increased volume of data by using the ImageGrid
(CANDELiS Inc, Irvine CA) server and the IGViewer license (CANDELiS Inc, Irvine
CA) to create a DICOM-RT compatible PACS system.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.