Goal

Use pacs_system's bundled command-line tools for common DICOM operations without writing code: inspection, conversion, anonymization, and query/retrieve.

dcm_info — Quick file summary

dcm_info patient001.dcm

Prints a human-readable summary: patient name, study date, modality, transfer syntax, and image dimensions. Use this for sanity-checking files.

dcm_dump — Full metadata dump

dcm_dump patient001.dcm > dump.txt

Dumps every tag and value to stdout. Useful for debugging vendor-specific quirks or verifying that private tags are being written correctly.

dcm_conv — Transfer syntax conversion

dcm_conv --to explicit_vr_le input.dcm output.dcm

dcm_conv --to jpeg2000_lossless input.dcm output.dcm

Re-encodes the pixel data to a different transfer syntax without touching other metadata. Use for compatibility with older receivers or to save space via lossless compression.

dcm_anonymize — De-identification

dcm_anonymize --profile basic input.dcm output.dcm

Removes or replaces patient-identifying tags per DICOM PS3.15 profiles. The basic profile covers Safe Harbor de-identification; other profiles include retention options for research scenarios.

Warning: Always verify the output with dcm_dump before sharing anonymized files — misconfigured profiles may leave identifying information in private tags.

query_scu — Remote query

query_scu --host pacs.example.com --port 11112 \
          --called-ae REMOTE_PACS --calling-ae MY_TOOL \
          --level study --patient-id 12345

Performs a C-FIND query against a remote PACS and prints matching studies. Handy for ad-hoc troubleshooting without writing a client.

More tools

pacs_system ships with 28+ CLI examples. See the examples/ directory for the full list:

dcm_extract — extract pixel data to JPEG/PNG
dcm_modify — edit tags in place
dcm_dir — create DICOMDIR media
dcm_to_json / json_to_dcm — JSON round-trip
echo_scu / echo_scp — test connectivity
store_scu / store_scp — storage services
worklist_scu / worklist_scp — modality worklist

Common Mistakes

Forgetting –called-ae. Most servers reject associations with a default or empty called AE title. Always specify the expected AE title of the remote.
Firewall blocks DICOM port. Default DICOM port is 104 (privileged) or 11112 (unprivileged). Check both ends of the connection.
Anonymization profile mismatch. The basic profile is conservative; research studies often need the retain-longitudinal-temporal-information option to keep dates relative.

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