Structured dose reporting

Abstract

For a long time, radiation dose documentation has been done manually. In the late Nineties, DICOM has introduced MPPS (Modality Performed Procedure Step), which has been the first general solution for digital communication of dose measurements. In parallel, OCR has been used to analyse the “images” keeping dose information, which are part of most CT studies. Both of these efforts have some advantages and also a lot of disadvantages, e.g. MPPS is a message based communication, which could fail and OCR could produce errors. Therefore, some years ago DICOM has started to develop new objects for documentation of dose information as “DICOM Dose Structured Reports”. These objects are full DICOM objects, which can be communicated, stored and displayed like any other DICOM object. Such Dose SRs are available for many different imaging modalities, meanwhile also a Dose SR for nuclear medicine is available (Supplement 159, 2013). Actually, the second generation of Dose SR on Radiotherapy (Suppl. 177) and a “Patient Radiation Dose Reporting” (Suppl. 191) are in discussion in DICOM. The real world application is “prescribed” with the IHE profile on “Radiation Exposure Monitoring”. Based on this profile, different roles for creating, archiving and analysing dose information have been defined and described. This model allows building local, regional or even international dose registers from real life examinations. Such information is optimal for benchmarking or creation of DRLs. Using structured dose information, there are new opportunities for research. Also, in principle there patient-oriented dose-profiles could be created in future. For a long time, radiation dose documentation has been done manually. In the late Nineties, DICOM has introduced MPPS (Modality Performed Procedure Step), which has been the first general solution for digital communication of dose measurements. In parallel, OCR has been used to analyse the “images” keeping dose information, which are part of most CT studies. Both of these efforts have some advantages and also a lot of disadvantages, e.g. MPPS is a message based communication, which could fail and OCR could produce errors. Therefore, some years ago DICOM has started to develop new objects for documentation of dose information as “DICOM Dose Structured Reports”. These objects are full DICOM objects, which can be communicated, stored and displayed like any other DICOM object. Such Dose SRs are available for many different imaging modalities, meanwhile also a Dose SR for nuclear medicine is available (Supplement 159, 2013). Actually, the second generation of Dose SR on Radiotherapy (Suppl. 177) and a “Patient Radiation Dose Reporting” (Suppl. 191) are in discussion in DICOM. The real world application is “prescribed” with the IHE profile on “Radiation Exposure Monitoring”. Based on this profile, different roles for creating, archiving and analysing dose information have been defined and described. This model allows building local, regional or even international dose registers from real life examinations. Such information is optimal for benchmarking or creation of DRLs. Using structured dose information, there are new opportunities for research. Also, in principle there patient-oriented dose-profiles could be created in future.