A Test Implementation of the Proposed DICOM Specimen Module
John R Gilbertson MD; Case Western Reserve University; Ashok Patel MD; Case Western Reserve University; Rajnish Gupta MS; Case Western Reserve University; Robert Lanese MS; Case Western Reserver University;
Content:
DICOM Supplement 122 is a proposed way for describing specimens that are the subject of a DICOM image. It is the product of the DICOM Pathology Working Group with input from vendors, users and institutions in Europe the US and Japan, and is scheduled to be released for public comment for one year beginning in summer 2007. This abstract reports ongoing results of a pilot implementation that was used to guide the design of the Supplement.
Technology:
Copath CS, Perl, Powerbuilder, XML
Design:
Supplement 122 describes a structure (the Specimen Module) for storing identification, processing, sampling and staining data on a specimen (and its parents) necessary to interpret a specimen image. The structure is incorporated into the DICOM Image Object Definition and the data will be stored with the DICOM image. To be successful, the module must flexible enough for auto-population from a typical LIS with allowing a high degree of detail in some applications. In this study, we created a data model of the proposed specimen module and wrote a program that could populate the model with information on any gross specimen, block or slide in our LIS. The results (the instantiation of the DICOM Specimen Module for a give specimen) were examined and problems reported to the Working Group to guide development of the Supplement.
Results:
The project identified several major limitations in the initial module that were then fixed including the need for specimen ID line in the processing table and need pre-parsing several LIS fields such as Gross Description and Specimens Received. The project is will continue until the end of public comment in 2008.
Conclusion:
Sampling, processing and staining information is vital in understanding a pathology image. Supplement 122 (the specimen module) represents DICOMs attempt to incorporate that information in DICOM image file. Working with the Pathology Working Group, we have used (and continue to use) this pilot implementation to test, refine and improve the Supplement
