DICOM Integration Libraries for Medical Image Interoperability: A Technical Review

Medical images support diagnostic care and research in medicine. The acquisition and availability of medical images in digital form can facilitate quick diagnosis, ease of access, continuity of care, analysis and contribute to modern medical research. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is a universal standard that promises standardized representation and exchange of medical images and related information from various radiological and waveform sources. DICOM software development kits or tools or libraries make it easier to implement DICOM standard in healthcare applications. There are several such API libraries available from different providers that promise DICOM integration. In this paper, we explore available DICOM API libraries and conduct a comparative study between a set of selected libraries on the four major criteria (DICOM features, technical aspects, the robustness of the library, and the level of user support available). The aim is to provide a complete picture of options available that can help in finding a best-fit open-source DICOM standard integration API library for developing standardized and interoperable healthcare applications.