The Tudor Dicom Tools

The Tudor DICOM Tools are a Java library to perform high-level DICOM operations. It is based on dcm4che version 2, the Java Advanced Imaging API (JAI) and ImageJ. The library includes stand-alone applications as well as ImageJ plugins. It can be used as a library in own custom applications as well. It offers functionality to read and write DICOM files from a disc or a DICOMDIR file-set (e.g. DICOM CD), work with the DICOM header, anonymize images and send, receive or query images from a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) via network. The following DICOM network services are provided by the tools: C-ECHO-SCU/SCP, STORAGE-SCP, QUERY/RETRIEVE-SCU. Additionally it offers components to view DICOM images with features like windowing, zooming, shifting, measuring etc.. . Most of the included functionalities can be used in ImageJ macros. You can explore how to use them by using the macro recorder of ImageJ.

The Tudor DICOM Viewer started as a tech-demo of all features provided in the TUDOR DICOM Tools. With the time it evolved to a simple, but jet useful DICOM viewer. The viewer is able to display multiple images in several splitscreen or multi-monitor configurations. Multiple series can be loaded and managed in the viewer from different available sources. As the viewer allthough contains the complete DICOM open dialog with the integrated store and send functionalities it can be used not only to view images, but to retrieve images from one modality, store them into a DICOMDIR that can be burned as DICOM CD or send them to another DICOM capable modality.

The software distributed under the LGPL license - Copyright 2008 Tudor/Santec.

The software needs at least version 1.5 of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), due to the compatibility of external libraries. The installation of the Tudor DICOM Tools is quite easy:

1. Download the package.
2. For the Tudor DICOM Viewer:
   • Unpack the archive and use the .exe or .cmd file to start the Viewer.
3. For the Tudor DICOM Plugins:
   • Unpack the archive in the ImageJ directory. All files will be copied to the correct locations. The archive contains external libraries in the plugins/TudorDICOMLibs folder and the plugin jar in plugins/TudorDICOM_Plugin.jar

Please visit the DICOM Tools Homepage to download the recent version:
http://santec.tudor.lu/project/optimage/dicom/start

A dedicated component has been developed to facilitate the opening of DICOM images into ImageJ from different sources. With the Tudor DICOM File Opener, it is possible to open files from the following sources:

File:

Images of course can be loaded from the file system. All functions of a normal file chooser are available. In the manager section you are able to send local files to the integrated DICOM STORE.

DICOM STORE:

The Tudor DICOM Tools integrate a small DICOM STORE. You can look into its database to load images into ImageJ. At the manage tab you are able to delete images from the integrated DICOM STORE and send images to a preconfigured remote PACS.

DICOMDIR:

This option is useful if you have DICOMDIR compatible CD, which are for example produced by hospital robots. You can read then images from these kind of CDs in querying patient and series information instead of file names. In the manage tab you can integrate the image then into the integrated DICOM STORE

DICOM Query:

Images can be searched by the patient name on an external PACS server by using the DICOM C-Find protocol. After a study of an image series has be found, it can be transferred into the local DICOM STORE using the DICOM MOVE protocol.

Each source has as well a manage tab, which can be used to manage files. For example it is possible to copy files from the local file system to the integrated DICOM STORE or delete images in the integrated DICOM STORE.

To launch the File Chooser select plugins → Tudor DICOM → Open DICOM File.

Images that have been opened in ImageJ can be saved in the DICOM format to the local file system. If the image contains a DICOM header, this header will be written to the saved file. If the file does not contains a header, a default header will be created.

To save images as DICOM file select plugins → Tudor DICOM → Save as DICOM.

Images that have been opened in ImageJ can be send to other DICOM-aware stations or applications in your network. If the image contains a DICOM header, this header will be written to the saved file. If the file does not contains a header, a default header will be created. To send images to the DICOM node that has been configured in the DICOM settings select

plugins → Tudor DICOM → Send as DICOM.