Export prior Studies on receive of DICOM composite objects

Overview

One can choose to export some or all relevant prior studies of a patient on receive of new studies for the same patient.

Configuration

Configure one or more DICOM Exporter for each destination.

Using Archive UI

• Select the level on which the feature needs to be configured :
  • To configure on Archive device level, go to Menu->Configuration, then on Devices page, Edit the dcm4chee-arc device. Go to Extensions and Edit extension of Device Extension. Again go to its Extensions and Edit extension of Archive device.
  • To configure on Archive Application Entity level, go to Menu->Configuration, then on Devices page and
    Edit the dcm4chee-arc device. Go to Child Objects and select the Application Entity for which this feature needs to be configured. Go to Extensions and Edit extension of Network AE extension. Again go to its Extensions and click on Edit extension of Archive Network AE.
• In its Child Objects add Export Priors Rule. Specify Name, Exporter ID, Suppress Duplicate Export Interval and one or more optional fields Attribute Conditions, Time Conditions and Entity Selector and Save.

Doing so will trigger export of studies for patients whenever any processed HL7 Message referencing this patient is received by archive.

Use Cases

1. Trigger export of studies only on specific condition(s).

• Add one or more Attribute Conditions and Save.

  This ensures that some or all relevant prior studies of a patient shall be exported only if attribute(s) present in the incoming object(s) of the studies of this patient matched the attribute condition(s) specified in this rule.

2. Trigger export only for some studies based on certain conditions pertaining to the study/patient

• Add one or more Entity Selector and Save.

  For eg. if you set value as priors=2&StudyAge=-5Y&ModalitiesInStudy=CT, it means select at most 2 prior Studies not older than 5 years containing at least one CT Series.

3. Export Prior Studies only if rule is triggered in certain time schedules.

• Add one or more Time Conditions and Save.

  This ensures that if new studies of a patient was received in the specified time schedule(s) and the Export Priors Rule matched any remaining condition(s), if specified, then some or all relevant prior studies of this patient shall be exported.

Using LDAP

One may either create a LDIF file (e.g.):

• To configure on Archive device level,

    version: 1
    dn: cn=Default Export Prior Rule,dicomDeviceName=dcm4chee-arc,cn=Devices,cn=DICOM Configuration,dc=dcm4che,dc=org
    objectClass: dcmExportPriorsRule
    cn: Default Export Prior Rule
    dcmDuration: PT1H
    dcmExporterID: STORESCP
    dcmSchedule: hour=22-23 dayOfWeek=0
    dcmProperty: SendingApplicationEntityTitle=FORWARD
    dcmEntitySelector: priors=2&StudyAge=-5Y&ModalitiesInStudy=CT
  

• To configure on Archive Application Entity level,

    version: 1
    dn: cn=Default Export Prior Rule,dicomAETitle=DCM4CHEE,dicomDeviceName=dcm4chee-arc,cn=Devices,cn=DICOM Configuration,dc=dcm4che,dc=org
    objectClass: dcmExportPriorsRule
    cn: Default Export Prior Rule
    dcmDuration: PT1H
    dcmExporterID: STORESCP
    dcmSchedule: hour=22-23 dayOfWeek=0
    dcmProperty: SendingApplicationEntityTitle=FORWARD
    dcmEntitySelector: priors=2&StudyAge=-5Y&ModalitiesInStudy=CT
  

  and import it to the LDAP Server by using the ldapmodify command line utility.

• or directly use its New Entry... function to create corresponding Export Priors Rule entries of Apache Directory Studio on Device Level (e.g.: dicomDeviceName=dcm4chee-arc) or on Application Entity Level (e.g: dicomAETitle=DCM4CHEE) of the Archive Configuration.

One may refer to Export Priors Rule to understand the description of attributes.

Refer ISO-8601 Duration format for more know-how on Durations.

Go to the Control tab on Configuration page in archive UI and reload the configuration.

Testing

Required dcm4che Tools

• storescu simulating the external object source (e.g. modality) STORESCU, from which objects are being received.
• storescp simulating the external object destination (e.g. central archive) STORESCP, to which received objects are forwarded.

Verification

1. Start STORESCP tool.

      storescp -b <AET>:<port>
   

2. Send study to archive

      storescu -c <AET>@<hostname>:<port> /pathToStudy                            
   

3. The patient to which above study belongs, if is already present in the archive and has studies, then you will see in the storescp tool window that the prior studies of this patient have been exported to the STORESCP destination.

4. If the patient was not present in the archive, then send again a second study for the same patient to the archive and you will notice that the first study sent (in point 2 above) has been exported to the STORESCP destination.