This is the second edition of a very popular book on DICOM that introduces this complex standard from a very practical point of view. It is aimed at a broad audience of radiologists, clinical administrators, information technologists, medical students, and lecturers. The book provides a gradual, down to earth introduction to DICOM, accompanied by an analysis of the most common problems associated with its implementation. Compared with the first edition, many improvements and additions have been made, based on feedback from readers. Whether you are running a teleradiology project or writing DICOM software, this book will provide you with clear and helpful guidance. It will prepare you for any DICOM projects or problem solving, and assist you in taking full advantage of multifaceted DICOM functionality.

Oleg Pianykh received his graduate training in Applied Math and Computer Science, but has been fascinated by medical imaging since his early student years. This led to his first appointment at Louisiana State University Medical Center in 1998, and has kept him in the medical field ever since as a developer, researcher, faculty member, business owner, and clinical project manager. These diverse endeavors have helped Dr. Pianykh to learn about DICOM imaging from many various and sometimes unexpected angles. His experiences range from the ground work in DICOM workgroups and committees to hands-on imaging projects in remote community hospitals. In August 2005, soon after being appointed Chief Information Officer for Louisiana Healthcare Network, Dr. Pianykh had to work on rebuilding the statewide PACS grid that was devastated by hurricane Katrina. A year later, he joined Harvard Medical School, where he serves as a clinical faculty member and researcher, teaches medical informatics, and heads DICOM imaging projects. Dr. Pianykh participates in many international projects, provides consultation to DICOM users and companies, and enjoys every single aspect of practical medical informatics.

Introduction to DICOM: What is DICOM?- How does DICOM work?- Where do you get DICOM from?- A Brief History of DICOM.-DICOM and Clinical Data: Parlez-vous DICOM?- Medical Images in DICOM.-DICOM Communications: DICOM SOPs: Basic.- DICOM SOPs: Beyond Basic.- DICOM Associations.-DICOM Media andSecurity: DICOM Media: Files, Folders, and DICOMDIRs.- DICOM Security.- Incompatibility of Compatible.-Advanced Topics: DICOM and Teleradiology.- Standards and System Integration in Digital Medicine.-  Disaster PACS Planning and Management.- DICOM Software Development.- DICOM Implementation Plans.- DICOM FAQs.- Appendix.