The new effective tool for data migration from old PACS (Rogan) to new PACS (Fuji Synapse) with integrated Thai patient names.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate consuming time and amount of data transfer for PACS data migration from the existing system to a new one by using new developed software tools. MATERIAL AND
METHOD: The authors have developed a migration tool for PACS data migration and integrated Thai names into a new PACS by the following steps. First, look up the existing database table for hospital number (HN) and image names for each series number. Second, directly retrieve image from storage. Third, get the Thai name by searching HN from the hospital information system (HIS). Then, send the new study to the new PACS via hospital level 7 (HL7) message. Finally, send images to the new PACS.
RESULTS: The data were migrated from the existing PACS, integrated Thai name and sent them to the new PACS. The total migrated images of CR, CT and MR were 296,269, 692,860 and 42,941 images respectively. The average migrated images per series for CR, CT and MR were about 1.01, 89.84 and 15.53 images in successive order. The consuming time for data migration of CR, CT and MR were 685.8, 283.4 and 34.8 hours, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The authors successfully developed new application tool for PACS migration that used to migrate data from the existing PACS to the new one, which are powerful and highly flexibility tools, and including patient Thai name in patient information during data migration.