Getting Oriented using the Image Plane Module

Just before diving into how to get oriented using the Image Plane Module, so we can put the letters right in our viewer, I want to get equipped with few more latin words so we understand what Radiologists are mumbling. If you're a Doctor, please be patient with us programmers. 

Cuts! Three major cuts we have (or planes): 

Transverse (AKA Axial) divides head from feet

Axial Cut

Sagittall Cut - right between the eyes

Sagittal Cut

and Coronal Cut - the Filet

Coronal Cut

And now that we're done with Anatomy let's do some Geometry. In this post I'm going to start explaining the use of the Image Plane Module. To refresh on Modules read chapter 4 of the DICOM Tutorial. The Image Plane module is part of the CT Image IOD and the MR Image IOD and any other object that have a frame of reference, i.e. that has a spatial coordinates system related to the patient or in other words is a 3D scan of the body.

Introduction to DICOM - Chapter 4 - DICOM Objects

Chapter 4 – DICOM Objects

In chapter 3 we’ve learned about DICOM elements. Every element is one piece of typed data with a pre defined, well specified meaning. There are thousands of DICOM elements (See chapter 6 of the standard) from the very basic attributes of patient name and birth date to the most esoteric uses of 3D surface vortices. In this chapter we’re going to collect elements into image object that is called Secondary Capture Image. 

The guys at DICOM did a lot of very good work and created well defined classes for a very detailed Data Model. This is why I always advise to dig in the DICOM standard before designing your imaging device software because there’s a very good chance that the DICOM technical committees already did the work for you and you can save a lot of expansive design time this way. 

In a way DICOM objects definitions are similar to object oriented programming. I prefer though the analog to interfaces specifications. The motivation to adhere to a standard is to enable interoperability. By detailing information object definitions (IOD’s) DICOM enables us to exchange virtual objects between applications without knowing in advance anything about the application we are going to interface with. 

In this chapter I'm going to complete chapter’s 3 examples by adding elements to the object until it’s a valid Secondary Capture Image according to the DICOM standard. Secondary Capture Image is the simplest DICOM image object. Secondary Captures is not related to any specific device. It has the very basic set of elements that a DICOM application needs in order to display and archive a DICOM image properly.

Introduction to DICOM - Chapter 3 - DICOM Elements

Chapter 3 – DICOM Elements

Let’s start with a useful example. Suppose you are a dermatologist and that you use your Smartphone digital camera to record and track patients’ skin condition. You practice a simple procedure that is basically this:

1. Take a photo

2. Send it to yourself by email

3. Open the email on your laptop and save the picture in a folder having the patient name.

As programmers, we don’t have to talk much about the flows of this practice but for a small, one doctor clinic, this might just work.

In this lesson, we’ll take the JPEG image and DICOMIZE it. When we DICOMIZE an Image we wrap the image in a DICOM envelope and add important data that is required by the DICOM standard in order to enable all DICOM enabled applications to read and display the image correctly. It’s true that non DICOM application can display the JPEG image just as it is now without DICOMIZING but that’s another story.

Introduction to DICOM - Chpater 2 - Why is it this way in DICOM?

Introduction to DICOM
Chpater 2 - Why is it this way in DICOM?
Many times when I explain features and aspects of DICOM I get questions like, “Why do you need DICOM if you have JPEG and XML?”; or, ”why is DICOM so complicated?”. Many variants of this question come up over and over again. These types of questions can be very broad or very specific and relate to all kind of choices that the people who write the standard make and the options that they take.

Introduction to DICOM - Chapter 1 - Introduction

Introduction to DICOM

Chapter 1: Introduction

DICOM is a software integration standard that is used in Medical Imaging. All modern medical imaging systems (AKA Imaging Modalities) Equipment like X-Rays, Ultrasounds, CT (Computed Tomography), and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) support DICOM and use it extensively.

In this tutorial I present a high level review of DICOM. We will look at DICOM from the user point of view trying to avoid the fine details when possible.

New releases of MODALIZER+ and MODALIZER-SDK

A quick update on HRZ latest software releases. We've released MODALIZER+ V6.1 with video capture capabilities. Check the post on HRZ web site. And also a new release of MODALIZER-SDK (version 3.2.2.4) that is available on HRZ downloads page.

Hello Dubai! A visit to ArabHealth 2023

The Moon over Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai

The Abraham Accords opened the UAE to Israelis and here I am in Dubai for the ArabHealth 2023 convention. I'm not a big fan of trade shows but when the opportunity came up I just couldn't say no. Add to that the 10% discount on Emirates flights a week before and after the show and the connection flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka, one of my favorite surf destinations, and there you go, business and pleasure comes together. 

Business first, how can you make business in a trade show? 

1. Set up a booth, you may say? Well, for a small company like HRZ, when looking at the huge pavilions of GE and Siemens, I don't think so. Actually I tried this once at MEDICA and wasn't happy at all with the results.