Universal standard for digital medical imaging file format and communication
Expansion
Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine
Purpose
Enables interoperability between imaging devices and institutions worldwide
Clinical Context
DICOM includes not just pixel data but rich metadata: patient info, acquisition parameters, dose, calibration, and annotations.
Related Terms
- PACS:
- HL7:
- FHIR:
- Imaging standards:
Key Points
- All clinical imaging devices (CT, MRI, US, X-ray) produce DICOM files; this universal format enables seamless data exchange