Installing an Open-Source and free PACS
(Picture Archiving and Communication System)

Install, Deploy and use a 100% free open-source PACS,
based on robust and extensible components.
  • Web-based administration
  • Unlimited number of clients
  • Robust and extensible database engines
  • Fully compatible with Mac hardware and software
  • Fully compatible with DICOM protocol
  • Open-Source
  • Free
  • Seemless integration with OsiriX DICOM Viewer, through the DICOM protocol
  • 100% Windows-Less, 100% MacOS compatible

Introduction

Typically a PACS network consists of a central PACS server which stores a database containing the images, and of multiple clients that can retrieve and display these images on medical imaging software. The images are stored in DICOM format. The modalities (MRI, CT, PET, Ultrasounds, ...) send the images to the PACS Server by using a DICOM "push" (DICOM C-Store). The server and the clients communicates by using the DICOM protocol (DICOM C-Store or Query & Retrieve). The clients display the images by using a medical imaging software: a DICOM viewer.

Each computer in a PACS network are identified by their network address (IP address), a communication port (TCP/IP port) and a name (AETitle): each computer is a DICOM Node in the PACS network. IP address, TCP/IP port number and AETitle are the informations required to connect each DICOM Node to the PACS network. These informations can be found in the Preferences - Listener window in OsiriX.

Hence, to build a PACS, you need:

  1. A PACS Server: a computer with a lot of hard disk space and a PACS Server software, like dcm4chee. The PACS Server software needs to be robust, working flawlessly 24/7, with a powerfull database engine, capable of storing millions of DICOM images.
  2. PACS Clients: a computer with a DICOM viewer software, like OsiriX. These PACS Clients can query and retrieve the DICOM images from the PACS server, by using the DICOM network protocol (DICOM C-Move, C-Store, C-Find, ...). The important qualities of a DICOM viewer:
  • Fast transferring time (limited by the network bandwith)
  • Fast loading time to be able to load and browse 1'000 images in less than 1 minute
  • Complete DICOM protocol supports to handle all different types of DICOM images
  • Powerfull 2D imaging functions to analyze the images (ROIs, window levels, zooming, ....)
  • 3D post-processing functions to view the datasets in volume rendering, MPR or MIP
  • Image fusion support to analyze PET-CT studies


PACS Network architecture (Q&R = DICOM Query & Retrieve protocol):
Multiple Modalities, a PACS Server, and multiple PACS Clients (PACS Workstations / DICOM Viewers)

Today, thanks to multiple open-source projects, it is possible to build a complete PACS network for free (you still have to pay for the hardware...). To build our free and open-source PACS network, we will use OsiriX, as the DICOM viewer, and dcm4chee as the PACS server.

Set-up

Hardware

  1. For the PACS Server: choose an Xserve or a MacPro with 2TB of storage to store up to 3 millions of CT images, depending on your RAID configuration. If you need more storage, you can add a Xserve RAID to store up to 7TB of data. By using Xsan you can even build unlimited PACS storage.
  2. For the PACS clients: choose an iMac or a MacPro, depending if you need to do 3D post-processing or only 2D viewing.

Software

  1. For the PACS Server: there are currently a great open-source DICOM server software: dcm4chee.
  2. For the PACS clients: choose OsiriX, it's a bloody great DICOM Viewer!

Installation

First, install the MacOS X Developer Tools CD on your server (available with your Mac computer).

And activate the Personal Web Sharing in your system preferences:



And now choose one of these two open-source PACS Server projects:

Installation of dcm4chee

Instruction to install version 2.13

Database Engine: MySQL (also available for Postgresql or Oracle)
DICOM Network tools: Java-based (JBoss)
Pros: Many options for administration and configuration

To administrate your server:

Enter http://localhost:8080/dcm4chee-web/ in your web browser
Default account and password: admin / admin



To be able to Send or Retrieve an exam from/to your new PACS Server, you need to declare it on each PACS Clients:
Run OsiriX, select Preferences - Locations and add your DICOM PACS Server:


Add each PACS Clients (DICOM Nodes) on your PACS Server:
You can find the DICOM Node informations of your OsiriX workstation in the Preferences - Listener window.

Problems with this installation?
Check the installation guide for dcm4chee from ClubPACS.

More informations about dcm4chee:
Informations

Exchange images between OsiriX and your PACS Server (dcm4chee)

If you want to retrieve specific studies from your PACS server, you can now open the Query & Retrieve window in OsiriX:

Select the source, dcm4chee, enter a patient's name and click Query.

You can also send new studies from OsiriX to the PACS Server by using the DICOM Send function of OsiriX.

Conclusion

You just created and installed a complete PACS Network: PACS Server (dcm4chee) and PACS Workstations (OsiriX) for free, based on open-source and unlimited powerfull database engine (MySQL) components.

Problems? Support?

If you have any problems with the set-up of this open-source PACS, join our mailing list to find answers: OsiriX mailing list.

Are you looking for a 24/7 experts support to manage your PACS network and your OsiriX workstations? Check our parnters area.

What is missing?