PACS

P - Picture viewing at diagnostic, reporting, consulting and remote workstations
A - Archiving images using short or long-term storage devices
C - Communications using local or wide area networks or public communication services.
S - Systems that include modality interfaces

There are recommendations what should be included in every PACS, apart from DICOM base search and DICOM image display and their corresponding information.

A PACS system is the only solution that allows you to efficiently store and retrieve your images. Furthermore, it is the only solution that will interface with your hospital information system to allow you to move toward the ultimate goal of digital radiography which is the paperless practice.



Systems that are used for picture archiving for many departments are multimodal. In this way, information of previously made expositions from different departments (radiology, ultrasound, laboratory etc.)is no problem at all.

Every modern PACS system must be web oriented or at least to have an ability of information change into the form that can be seen in the Web reader through network server.

Referring to the remote access, it is the data transfer to any location thet is one of the PACS basic characteristics. These systems are of the essential importance in remote diagnostics and remote consultations, so it is possible to include a person who is physically on the other continent.

DICOM

Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is a comprehensive set of standards for handling, storing and transmitting information in medical imaging. It includes a file format definition and a network communication protocol. This protocol is an application protocol, it uses TCP/IP to communicate between systems. DICOM files can be exchanged between two entities that have the capability to receive the information - image and patient data - in DICOM format.