DICOM and Teleradiology

Abstract

When PACS started gaining popularity in the late 1990s, they instantly proved a very important concept: there is no limit on how far computer networks can transfer digital data. Surprisingly, it took several years to realize that this concept could become a powerful tool in rebuilding the entire medical workflow. For too long, PACS users, developers, and administrators were much more preoccupied with imaging rather than networking. As a result, the road to making medicine truly tele, or distance-independent, took a few interesting turns before returning to the PACS domain. Its history is worth a quick review.