Has the time come to shift to paper DICOM printing?

In the 1990s when we started doing cross-sectional imaging, the scenario was very different than today. There was no picture archiving and communication system (PACS), and there was a single monitor to do planning of scans and viewing of images. Rarely there was luxury of a slave monitor, where images could be seen without coming in the way of the technologist, who were the big bosses then, shooing radiologist away from the console monitor – their domain!

The minimum slice thickness was usually 5/8/10 mm, so all images were documented on film directly. Reporting was done from films. Since all the diagnostic information needed was captured on film. Good quality film cameras, films, and view boxes were as important as good quality scanners. Subsequently, to facilitate the reading process, motorized viewing panels were introduced which cost lakhs of rupees at that time! As the applications were evolving, the regions scanned were limited. Clinicians especially neurologists and neurosurgeons would take pride in their ability to read scans and even do today but to a much lesser extent than those days.

Publication History

Article published online:
22 July 2021