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DICOM data migration for PACS transition: procedure and pitfalls

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International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Transition from one Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) to the other is costly and disruptive. Especially the migration of the DICOM data from the legacy to the new PACS is a very challenging task, and although such a migration will happen in every hospital, literature on methodologies to follow and possible problems and pitfalls is scarce. The objective of this work is to provide insight in the prerequisites for the legacy PACS before starting the migration with respect to vendor and DICOM considerations.

Methods

The steps involved in migration, possible methodologies, and areas of specific interest when planning migration are given. Possible challenges and problems are defined as well as issues that are often overlooked.

Results

A step-wise approach should be implemented for data migration. Careful planning and testing, continuous observation of the process, and involvement of all stakeholders including the old and new vendors are crucial for a successful transition from one PACS to the other.

Conclusion

A proper test migration is a crucial step in the PACS transition process, which can eliminate many of the problems in the actual migration. However, with any migration, there has to be a willingness to take a limited amount of risk since not all problems can nor will be identified in the test migration.

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Conflict of interest

None of the authors have conflicts of interest to report with respect to the content of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, EB45, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Peter M. A. van Ooijen & André Broekema

  2. Department of Radiology, Center for Medical Imaging – North East Netherlands, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Peter M. A. van Ooijen & Kadek Yota Aryanto

  3. Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Steven Horii

Authors
  1. Peter M. A. van Ooijen
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  2. Kadek Yota Aryanto
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  3. André Broekema
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  4. Steven Horii
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter M. A. van Ooijen.

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van Ooijen, P.M.A., Aryanto, K.Y., Broekema, A. et al. DICOM data migration for PACS transition: procedure and pitfalls. Int J CARS 10, 1055–1064 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-014-1123-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-014-1123-8

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