Specifying DICOM compliance for modality interfaces.

For picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) to be successful, they must be able to acquire image data from imaging devices and integrate this information into a PACS data base. Substantial effort has been invested in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard to define a standard network interface and data model for imaging devices that can facilitate information systems integration. A communication standard cannot ensure multivendor interoperability. Necessary implementation-specific requirements are beyond the scope of a standard but not of a user-generated conformance statement. A DICOM user conformance profile (UCP) is a formal statement drafted by a potential purchaser of medical imaging equipment to state clearly the subset of DICOM functionality that shall be provided by a potential vendor. The UCP specifies the service classes, information objects, and communication protocols to be supported by the implementation. A modality interface UCP presented by the author permits scheduling and demographic information to be communicated to an imaging modality and allows images to be stored in a PACS. The UCP also ensures an unambiguous notification of the end of a study and proper communication of image data.