dcm file to DICOMDIR

[smylefixer]

I am a dentist with a cone beam CT scan machine. The machine produces an images with a .dcm designation. I purchased a new machine with new software that does not recognize a .dcm but a DICOMDIR file. How can I use this utility to convert approximately 450 dcm files into a DICOMDIR file? I am an average software user so specific instructions on how to download this utility and how to use it to convert would be greatly helpful.

[Michael Onken]

Hi,

actually the DICOMDIR file is not a replacement for the DICOM files (.dcm) files at hand. Instead, it is a Table of Content that references DICOM files and has basic information about each (e.g. patient ID, name, birth date, file path, study date and so on). The idea is that a software reads the DICOMDIR and can use the information to decide (e.g. by asking the user) which files to import.

That being said, DCMTK has a tool (dcmgpdir) to create a DICOMDIR that references existing DICOM files. It is part of the toolkit executables that you can download from the regular download page.

Here you find the manual for dcmgpdir.

Generally, create a base dir. Put your DICOM files into a sub directory (for simplicty, use "DICOM") of that base dir. Make sure that all DICOM file names only consists of capital letters, numbers, underscore, and no file ending (i.e. no .dcm!). Otherwise you will have problems creating the DICOMDIR or importing it. In order to avoid mistakes, do not create further sub directories under "DICOM". Do not put any other files into the base and DICOM directory.

Then go into your base dir and call "dcmgpdir.exe +id . +r". That should create the DICOMDIR.

Copy the DICOMDIR and the DICOM directory on a CD or USB stick, whatever your new software reads from, give it a try, and tell me what the result is. As you can see in the dcmgpdir manual, there are several options (--...) that allow you to work around missing data in the DICOM files or other problems.

If your DICOM input files are JPEG compressed, then try the tool dcmmkdir instead which works the same but might require some extra options due to the compression.

Good luck,
Michael