Design and development of a secure DICOM-Network Attached Server

Abstract

It is not easy to connect a Web-based server with an existing DICOM server, and using a Web-based server on the Internet has risks. In this study, we designed and developed a secure DICOM-Network Attached Server (DICOM-NAS) through which the DICOM server in a hospital LAN was connected to the Internet. After receiving a client's image export request, the DICOM-NAS sent it to the DICOM server using the DICOM protocol. The server then provided DICOM images to the DICOM-NAS, which transferred them to the client, using HTTP. The DICOM-NAS plays an important role between the DICOM protocol and HTTP, and stores the requested images only temporarily. The DICOM server keeps all of the original DICOM images. If an unauthorized user attempts to access the DICOM-NAS, medical images cannot be accessed because images are not stored in the DICOM-NAS. Furthermore, the DICOM-NAS has features related to reporting and MPR. Therefore, the DICOM-NAS does not require a large storage capacity, but can greatly improve information security.