DICOM Sender

A Python-based GUI application for sending DICOM files to PACS servers with DICOM echo functionality. Uses the dcm4che Java library for DICOM network operations.

Features

• Send DICOM files to PACS servers via dcm4che's storescu
• DICOM Echo functionality to test server connectivity via dcm4che's echoscu
• Support for all DICOM transfer syntaxes supported by dcm4che
• DICOM tag modification - Edit DICOM tags before sending (Patient ID, Patient Name, etc.)
• Configurable server settings (IP, Port, AE Title)
• Save default settings
• Detailed logging
• Modern UI using CustomTkinter

Quick Start - Standalone Executable

For Windows users who don't want to install Python, a standalone executable is available:

1. Download the latest release ZIP file (like Alexamon_DICOM_Sender_v1.2.0.zip) from the GitHub Releases tab
2. Extract the ZIP file to any location on your computer
3. Run Alexamon_DICOM_Sender.exe directly - no installation needed!

The ZIP package contains everything needed to run the application, including all dependencies and libraries. The only prerequisite is having Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 8 or higher installed on your system.

Note: All official releases are published under the GitHub Releases tab. Always download the latest version for the best features and bug fixes.

Requirements (for source code users)

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 8 or higher
• Required Python packages are listed in requirements.txt
  • CustomTkinter - Modern UI library based on Tkinter
  • pydicom - For DICOM file handling (metadata only)
• dcm4che Java library (see installation instructions)

Installation (from source)

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/johnAlexamon/dicom_sender.git
   cd dicom_sender

2. Install Python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Install dcm4che library:

   • Download from https://sourceforge.net/projects/dcm4che/files/dcm4che3/
   • Place required JAR files in the lib/dcm4che/lib directory
   • See lib/dcm4che/README.md for detailed instructions

4. Set up the DICOM tag modification utility:

   scripts/setup_dcm4che_modifier.bat

   This will validate your dcm4che setup and compile the Java utility needed for tag modification.

Usage

1. Run the application:

   • If using the standalone executable: double-click Alexamon_DICOM_Sender.exe
   • If using source code: python main.py

2. Configure the PACS server settings:

   • Server IP
   • Port
   • AE Title

3. Use "DICOM Echo" to test the connection

4. Select a DICOM file or folder

5. (Optional) Modify DICOM tags:

   • Check the tags you want to modify in the DICOM Tag Modification section
   • Enter new values for each tag
   • The modifications will be applied to all selected files during sending

6. Click "Send DICOM" to transmit

DICOM Tag Modification

The application supports modifying DICOM tags directly using the dcm4che3 Java library. This is a more robust approach than command-line tag modification:

• Uses dcm4che's native Attributes API for proper tag handling
• Preserves file meta information
• Respects correct Value Representation (VR) for each tag

To test tag modification from the command line:

python scripts/test_dicom_tag_modification.py --file path/to/dicom.dcm --tag "0010,0020=ANONYMOUS" --tag "0010,0010=ANONYMOUS^PATIENT"

To test both tag modification and sending in one operation:

python scripts/test_modify_and_send.py --file path/to/dicom.dcm --ip 127.0.0.1 --port 11112 --ae-title ORTHANC --tag "0010,0020=ANONYMOUS" --tag "0010,0010=ANONYMOUS^PATIENT"

See the Scripts Documentation for more details about available test scripts.

The tag modification feature creates a temporary modified copy of the DICOM file before sending, leaving your original files untouched.

Project Structure

The project follows a standardized structure:

• src/ - Contains all source code
• logs/ - Contains log files
• releases/ - Contains release ZIP packages
• lib/ - Contains external libraries like dcm4che
• docs/ - Contains documentation

For more information about the project structure and development guidelines, see:

• Project Structure Documentation
• Project Rules
• Release Process

Logging

The application creates detailed logs in the logs directory with timestamps. Log files follow the naming pattern: dicom_sender_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log. These logs are useful for troubleshooting and tracking activity.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

The dcm4che libraries used in this project are licensed under the Mozilla Public License Version 1.1. See dcm4che's license for details.

Testing and Utility Scripts

The project includes several utility scripts for testing and working with DICOM files:

Included Scripts

1. Tag Modification Testing

   python scripts/test_dicom_tag_modification.py --file path/to/dicom.dcm --tag "00100020=TEST_ID" --tag "00100010=TEST^PATIENT"

2. Modify and Send Testing

   python scripts/test_modify_and_send.py --file path/to/dicom.dcm --ip 127.0.0.1 --port 11112 --ae-title ORTHANC --tag "00100020=TEST_ID"

3. DICOM Anonymization

   python scripts/anonymize_dicom.py --folder path/to/dicom_folder --output-dir anonymized_data --randomize

4. Batch Processing

   python scripts/batch_processor.py --folder dicom_files --modify-and-send --ip 127.0.0.1 --port 11112 --ae-title ORTHANC --tag "00100020=TEST_ID"

These scripts are useful for:

• Testing PACS connectivity
• Preparing anonymized datasets
• Processing large volumes of DICOM files
• Testing tag modification features
• Validating dcm4che integration

See the Scripts Documentation for detailed information on using these utilities.