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Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:04 am
by Massimo Linossi
Hi to all.
Has someone developed a program for interfacing with Dicom RM systems ?
A customer asked me to make a program that must be on a server, and a Dicom
Rm machine is making a connection with this program for retrieving some patients
informations.
Thanks a lot.

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 4:04 pm
by frose
never heard about "DICOM - Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine" before, so I googled it.

Perhaps these search results can help a bit:

http://medical.nema.org/
http://www.sph.sc.edu/comd/rorden/dicom.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC61235/

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:23 pm
by xProgrammer
Hi

I haven't as yet but I am writing software for nuclear medicine and all the new cameras support DICOM so it will be an issue into the future for me. What sort of time frame are you looking at? Happy to co-operate and share information and / or code. Will have 3 DICOM cameras by June this year. 1 already installed.

Regards

xProgrammer

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:52 am
by Massimo Linossi
Hi.
I'm searching informations about this system. It is not only a way of using the images that are
inside the nuclear machines, but also for connecting a server that is able to co-operate with it.
In my case I should be able to return to the machine the list of the patient waiting for a diagnostical
examination. A reseller told me that their machines are speaking along the network using a kind
of RS232 protocol. The machine ask to the server something and the server answers with some
strings. But I haven't find a sample or a clear documentation about this. The same for the images.
If I'll find something, I'll write to you.
Thanks in advance.

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 4:59 pm
by Jack
Hello,
I had the same problem of Kodak Radiology System .

My application, with dbf files , prepare a txt file in HL7 format .
When a patient is coming, the user click on a button and the Txt file is prepared .
The application save this txt file on the Network at a specific directory .

The software of the kodak is looking in this directory and when he see a file, it take it and
deleted it after .

The format of exchange is HL7 .

Hope that will help you .

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:04 pm
by Massimo Linossi
I know this method of working of Kodak system.
But the Dicom of Rm machines is different. They don't want a file, but a communication
with the server made with a protocol. But the problem is that nobody of their assistance
is able to explain me how this protocol is working. :cry:

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 7:24 am
by James Bott

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 7:55 am
by Massimo Linossi
Thanks James.
I have some heart problem after looking at the prices. :shock: :shock: But I'm looking for
a solution for managing the patients database and not the images. I have
used the Leadtools libraries for a long time, when I was programming with
VB6. And this library is really powerful, for making everything with images.
I remember that there a demo that was able to make some effects like the
modern Photoshop.
Thanks again.

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 7:56 am
by frose

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 8:34 am
by Massimo Linossi
Thanks Frose.
I'm reading the file you linked. I don't really know how this can be
implemented in a Xharbour program. I'm looking at the Leadtools
forum and there are the 99% of the questions that are about the
imaging process and not the patients study database.
I'll look around in the web this weekend trying to find a solution.
Thanks again.

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 2:02 am
by xProgrammer
Hi all

Since the DICOM communication protocol sits on top of the TCP/IP stack (line FTP, HTTP etc), it should be possible to implement in [x]Harbour. (I have written a data base client-server database server in xHarbour). How complicated the DICOM protocol would be to implement I don't know as I don't (yet) know any details of the protocol, but I will most certainly be looking into it.

Regards
xProgrammer

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:10 am
by xProgrammer
Hi all

Presumably we should start by writing and testing a C-Echo-Rq and C-Echo-Rsp (ie DICOM-ping) and working on functions to format / reformat the various data elements.

Regards
xProgrammer

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:17 am
by Massimo Linossi
The biggest problem is that you must work with this system connected with your PC.
And I can't go in that place because I had a surgery in my back and I have some metals
in my spine cord. :cry:

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:31 am
by xProgrammer
I have been looking at the DICOM-ping packets (request and response) on pages 126-129 of the DICOM test http://freepdfbookdownload.com/post/Dig ... Guide.aspx referenced above and think I basically understand what is going on but byte 57 seems incorrect given the value 0x0020 they have chosen. It seems to me it should be Decimal 32 or hex 20. Given the value the book gives (Decimal 2 or Hex 02) at byte 57 surely the value being sent would be 0x0002 and not 0x0020. Or am I missing something?

I am hoping to do some early experiments shortly - but I won't have access to a DICOM camera and workstation for a day or two.

I wonder how many people would be interested in working on such a project.

Regards
xProgrammer

Re: Interfacing with Dicom sistems

PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 7:17 am
by Massimo Linossi
I'm very interested in this project. If I can make something to help you,
please ask me.
Thanks a lot.
Massimo.