Overview
Pacslink PACS is built on the DICOM 3.0 standard. It receives studies directly from DICOM-compliant modalities from any vendor, archives them, and makes them available in a web-based DICOM viewer. Pacslink RIS publishes a DICOM modality worklist, and the teleradiology router forwards studies between sites and reporting radiologists over DICOM.
This page summarises the DICOM network services and options the Pacslink applications support. Biomedical engineering and modality vendors can use it to plan connections; the formal conformance statement in the DICOM PS3.2 format is available from our team on request.
Supported DICOM Network Services
SCP (Service Class Provider) means the Pacslink application accepts the request; SCU (Service Class User) means it sends it.
| Service / SOP class | SOP class UID | Role | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verification (C-ECHO) | 1.2.840.10008.1.1 |
SCU and SCP | Testing the connection to each modality and site |
| CT Image Storage | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.1.2 |
SCU and SCP | Receiving and routing CT studies |
| MR Image Storage | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.1.4 |
SCU and SCP | Receiving and routing MRI studies |
| Computed Radiography Image Storage | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.1.1 |
SCU and SCP | CR X-ray |
| Digital X-Ray Image Storage – For Presentation | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.1.1.1 |
SCU and SCP | DR X-ray |
| Digital Mammography X-Ray Image Storage – For Presentation | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.1.1.2 |
SCU and SCP | Mammography |
| Ultrasound Image Storage | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.1.6.1 |
SCU and SCP | Ultrasound (single frame) |
| Ultrasound Multi-frame Image Storage | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.1.3.1 |
SCU and SCP | Ultrasound cine loops |
| Secondary Capture Image Storage | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.1.7 |
SCU and SCP | Scanned documents and screen captures |
| Modality Worklist Information Model – FIND | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.31 |
SCP (Pacslink RIS) | Sending the correct patient and exam to each modality |
| Study Root Query/Retrieve – FIND | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.2.2.1 |
SCP | Workstations and other PACS searching the archive |
| Study Root Query/Retrieve – MOVE | 1.2.840.10008.5.1.4.1.2.2.2 |
SCP | Workstations and other PACS retrieving studies |
Transfer Syntaxes
Studies are accepted in the uncompressed and lossless transfer syntaxes below, and in JPEG Baseline where the modality sends it. Images are archived as received, so diagnostic quality is never reduced by the PACS.
| Transfer syntax | UID |
|---|---|
| Implicit VR Little Endian (DICOM default) | 1.2.840.10008.1.2 |
| Explicit VR Little Endian | 1.2.840.10008.1.2.1 |
| JPEG Baseline (Process 1) | 1.2.840.10008.1.2.4.50 |
| JPEG Lossless, First-Order Prediction (Process 14, SV1) | 1.2.840.10008.1.2.4.70 |
| JPEG 2000 Image Compression (Lossless Only) | 1.2.840.10008.1.2.4.90 |
Connecting a Modality
Each modality is configured once, normally by our implementation team together with your biomedical engineer or the modality vendor's service engineer.
- Assign the modality an AE title, and record its IP address and DICOM port.
- Add the Pacslink PACS AE title, IP address and port as a storage destination on the modality.
- Add the Pacslink RIS as the modality worklist provider, so scheduled patients appear at the console.
- Run a Verification (C-ECHO) test in both directions, then send a test study and confirm it in the viewer.
Web Viewer and Teleradiology Routing
Radiologists and clinicians open studies in a zero-footprint web DICOM viewer, so no DICOM software has to be installed on reading or clinical workstations.
For multi-site networks and teleradiology, the DICOM router forwards studies automatically between sites, archives and reporting radiologists by site, modality or time of day, over encrypted connections.
