Abstract

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Abstract

 
The DICOM standard is such a huge set of documentation that only a few may say that he/she has a full understanding of the whole. The present author of this humble introductory document does not belong to that happy group of people. Perhaps there is nobody who could clam having a full knowledge of all the details.
Having said that, let me describe in a few words what this document contains.

Only the basics of the basics, this is what this document is all about. In the first place, I will try to explain the most fundamental principles that drove the minds of those who laid down the details of the DICOM file format. Then I will try to explain the basics of the most commonly used DICOM services. Two, so called DICOM conformance statements are attached to this document, so those who want to challenge their DICOM knowledge in practice will have some examples at hand.

To whom do I suggest to read this material? Certainly not to programmers who would be really interested in technical details of the DICOM communication protocol. Our audience consists of not necessarily technically astute physicians, radiographers, imaging center managers who are simply interested or are involved in decision making related to acquisitions of digital imaging equipment: modalities, PACS systems (Picture Archiving and Communication System), especially those who plan to turn their imaging center to digital.
I have assumed that most of the readers are not IT people. This is why I devoted that much time and effort to explain the most basic principles of the digital representation of data.