DICOM PS3.3 2024d - Information Object Definitions

C.18.10 Table Content Item Macro

Table C.18.10-1 specifies the Attributes of the Table Content Item Macro, which convey a TABLE (two-dimensional tabulated data) Content Item value.

A TABLE consists of a rectangular array of row and column values, which may be of the same or different Value Representation, and be associated with coded row and column descriptions, and units for numeric values when required. Cell values may be specified individually or as complete row or column lists of values in single Attributes. The values may be described completely or sparsely (i.e., empty cells are permitted)

Table C.18.10-1. Table Content Item Macro Attributes

Attribute Name

Tag

Type

Attribute Description

Tabulated Values Sequence

(0040,A801)

1

This is the table that represents the value of the Content Item.

Shall consist of a single Item whose Attributes convey the cell value(s), which represent rows and columns consisting of text, codes, integers, real numbers or DateTimes.

Only a single Item shall be included in this Sequence.

>Number of Table Rows

(0040,A802)

1

The number of rows in this table.

>Number of Table Columns

(0040,A803)

1

The number of columns in this table.

>Table Row Definition Sequence

(0040,A806)

3

The concepts that define the meaning of the rows of the table.

One or more Items are permitted in this Sequence.

If a single Item is present, then the concept applies to all the rows.

Not all rows need to be described.

Items of this Sequence shall be sorted by Table Row Number.

See Section C.18.10.1.1.

>>Table Row Number

(0040,A804)

1C

The row, numbered from 1, of the table that this concept describes.

Required if the concept does not apply to all rows.

>>Concept Name Code Sequence

(0040,A043)

1

The concept that describes the meaning of the row(s).

Only a single Item shall be included in this Sequence.

>>>Include Table 8.8-1 “Code Sequence Macro Attributes”

No Baseline CID is defined.

>>Measurement Units Code Sequence

(0040,08EA)

1C

Units of measurement that apply to all the numeric values in this row.

Only a single Item shall be included in this Sequence.

Required if all the columns in this row are numeric values (Selector Attribute VR is DS, FD, FL, IS, SL, SS, UL, or US), have units (are not dimensionless), and have the same units.

>>>Include Table 8.8-1 “Code Sequence Macro Attributes”

DCID 82 “Measurement Unit”.

>Table Column Definition Sequence

(0040,A807)

3

The concepts that define the meaning of the columns of the table.

One or more Items are permitted in this Sequence.

Not all columns need to be described.

If a single Item is present, then the concept applies to all the columns.

Items of this Sequence shall be sorted by Table Column Number.

See Section C.18.10.1.1.

>>Table Column Number

(0040,A805)

1C

The column, numbered from 1, of the table that this concept describes.

Required if the concept does not apply to all columns.

>>Concept Name Code Sequence

(0040,A043)

1

The concept that describes the meaning of the column(s).

Only a single Item shall be included in this Sequence.

>>>Include Table 8.8-1 “Code Sequence Macro Attributes”

No Baseline CID is defined.

>>Measurement Units Code Sequence

(0040,08EA)

1C

Units of measurement that apply to all the numeric values in this column.

Only a single Item shall be included in this Sequence.

Required if all the rows in this column are numeric values (Selector Attribute VR is DS, FD, FL, IS, SL, SS, UL, or US), have units (are not dimensionless), and have the same units.

>>>Include Table 8.8-1 “Code Sequence Macro Attributes”

DCID 82 “Measurement Unit”.

>Cell Values Sequence

(0040,A808)

1

The values of each populated cell in the table, identified by row and column.

One or more Items shall be included in this Sequence.

The table may be sparse (i.e., not every cell is required to be populated).

Entire rows may be specified in a single Item if all the columns have the same VR.

Entire columns may be specified in a single Item if all the rows have the same VR.

Items of this Sequence shall be in row-major order, then sorted by column.

See Section C.18.10.1.2.

>>Table Row Number

(0040,A804)

1C

The row, numbered from 1, of the table.

Required if Table Column Number is absent, or all the rows for the column specified in Table Column Number are not encoded in a single Attribute (containing multiple values) in this Item (i.e., with a single VR).

>>Table Column Number

(0040,A805)

1C

The column, numbered from 1, of the table.

Required if Table Row Number is absent, or all the columns for the row specified in Table Row Number are not encoded in a single Attribute (containing multiple values) in this Item (i.e., with a single VR).

>>Referenced Content Item Identifier

(0040,DB73)

1C

An ordered set of one or more integers that uniquely identifies the Content Item that is the value for this cell.

See Section C.18.10.1.3.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is not present.

>>Selector Attribute VR

(0072,0050)

1C

Value Representation of the value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Referenced Content Item Identifier (0040,DB73) is not present.

Enumerated Values:

DS

DT

FD

FL

IS

SL

SQ

SS

SV

UC

UL

US

UV

Note

  1. Only a subset of the possible VRs (value in the VR column of Table 6-1 in PS3.6) is permitted.

  2. The value SQ is a special case, in that it is used to specify that the value is Code Sequence Attribute, rather than any other type of Sequence.

>>Selector DS Value

(0072,0072)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is DS, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector DT Value

(0072,0063)

1C

The DateTime value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is DT.

>>Selector FD Value

(0072,0074)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is FD, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector FL Value

(0072,0076)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is FL, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector IS Value

(0072,0064)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is IS, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector SL Value

(0072,007C)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is SL, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector SS Value

(0072,007E)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is SS, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector SV Value

(0072,0082)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is SV, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector UC Value

(0072,006F)

1C

The text value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is UC.

>>Selector UL Value

(0072,0078)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is UL, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector US Value

(0072,007A)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is US, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Selector UV Value

(0072,0083)

1C

The numeric value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is UV, and Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence (0040,A301) is not present.

>>Concept Code Sequence

(0040,A168)

1C

The coded value(s) of the cell(s) in this Item.

One or more Items shall be included in this Sequence.

Required if Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) is present and the value is SQ.

>>>Include Table 8.8-1 “Code Sequence Macro Attributes”

No Baseline CID is defined.

>>Measurement Units Code Sequence

(0040,08EA)

1C

Units of measurement that apply to all the numeric value in this cell.

Only a single Item shall be included in this Sequence.

Required if this cell is a numeric value (Selector Attribute VR is DS, FD, FL, IS, SL, SS, SV, UL, US or UV) has a unit (is not dimensionless), and the unit is not specified within the Table Row Definition Sequence for this row or Table Column Definition Sequence for this column.

>>>Include Table 8.8-1 “Code Sequence Macro Attributes”

DCID 82 “Measurement Unit”.

>>Numeric Value Qualifier Code Sequence

(0040,A301)

1C

The reason for the absence of the numeric value.

Only a single Item is permitted in this Sequence.

Required if this cell is a numeric value (Selector Attribute VR is DS, FD, FL, IS, SL, SS, SV, UL, US or UV), and the numeric value cannot be provided.

>>>Include Table 8.8-1 “Code Sequence Macro Attributes”

DCID 42 “Numeric Value Qualifier”.


C.18.10.1 Table Content Item Macro Attribute Descriptions

C.18.10.1.1 Table Row and Column Definition Sequences

The meaning of the table rows and columns are described in Items of Table Row Definition Sequence (0040,A806) and Table Column Definition Sequence (0040,A807). A coded concept name is provided in Concept Code Sequence (0040,A168) and units, if applicable, in Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA).

For example:

Example 1. A two-column table, consisting of multiple rows describing forty values of datetime and X-Ray tube current, could be described as follows:

Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (113734, DCM, "X-Ray Tube Current")

Tabulated Values Sequence (0040,A801)

Item 1

>Number of Table Rows (0040,A802) = 40

>Number of Table Columns (0040,A803) = 2

>Table Column Definition Sequence (0040,A807)

>Item 1

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 1

>>Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (111526, DCM, "DateTime Started")

>Item 2

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 2

>>Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (113734, DCM, "X-Ray Tube Current")

>>Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA) = (mA, UCUM, "mA")

Note

  1. The same concept (113734, DCM, "X-Ray Tube Current") can be used to describe the entire table as the column of values that represent the actual values.

  2. No Table Row Definition Sequence (0040,A806) is needed, since rows consist of unnamed observations.

  3. No Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA) is needed for the first column, since it contains DateTimes, not numeric values.

Example 2. A four by four matrix representing an affine transformation between two frames of reference could be described as:

Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (eRDSRX16, DCM, "X-Ray Source Transformation Matrix")

Tabulated Values Sequence (0040,A801)

Item 1

>Number of Table Rows (0040,A802) = 4

>Number of Table Columns (0040,A803) = 4

Note

  1. No Table Row Definition Sequence (0040,A806) or Table Column Definition Sequence (0040,A807) is needed, since the meaning of the rows and columns in a transformation matrix is implicit in the definition of the matrix (for example, the template using this Content Item might reference the behavior defined in Section C.20.2.1.1 Frame of Reference Transformation Matrix).

  2. No Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA) is needed since the numeric values are dimensionless (have no units).

Example 3. A four-column table, consisting of multiple (ten) measurements along an artery, could be described as follows:

Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (, , "Arterial Measurements")

Tabulated Values Sequence (0040,A801)

Item 1

>Number of Table Rows (0040,A802) = 10

>Number of Table Columns (0040,A803) = 4

>Table Column Definition Sequence (0040,A807)

>Item 1

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 1

>>Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (, , " Distance from landmark ")

>>Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA) = (mm, UCUM, "mm")

>Item 2

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 2

>>Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (, , "X- Measured lumen diameter")

>>Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA) = (mm, UCUM, "mm")

>Item 3

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 3

>>Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (, , "Calculated lumen cross-section area")

>>Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA) = (mm2, UCUM, " mm2")

>Item 4

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 4

>>Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) = (, , "Stenosis")

>>Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA) = ([%], UCUM, " [%]")

Note

No Table Row Definition Sequence (0040,A806) is needed, since rows consist of unnamed observations.

C.18.10.1.2 Cell Values Sequence

The table cell values are encoded in Items of Cell Values Sequence (0040,A808) either:

  • in individual Items, one for each cell, as a single valued Attribute (and may be sparse and of different VR per cell)

  • in a single Item for entire columns, one for each column, as a multi-valued Attribute (and hence be of the same VR for all the cells in a particular column)

  • in a single Item for entire rows, one for each row, as a multi-valued Attribute (and hence be of the same VR for all the cells in a particular row)

For example,

Example 1. A two-column table, consisting of multiple rows describing forty values of datetime and X-Ray tube current, as described in Section C.18.10.1.1 Example 1, could encode its values as follows:

>Cell Values Sequence (0040,A808)

>Item 1

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 1

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = DT

>>Selector DT Value (0072,0063) = 20200401163901.01\20200401163901.02\...\20200401163901.40 (forty values)

>Item 2

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 2

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = FL

>>Selector FL Value (0072,0076) = 100.1, 90.2, ..., 60.5 (forty 32-bit binary floating-point values)

Example 2. A four by four matrix representing an identity affine transformation between two frames of reference, as described in Section C.18.10.1.1 Example 2, could encode its values as follows:

>Cell Values Sequence (0040,A808)

>Item 1

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 1

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = FD

>>Selector FD Value (0072,0074) = 1, 0, 0, 0 (four 64-bit binary floating-point values)

>Item 2

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 2

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = FD

>>Selector FD Value (0072,0074) = 0, 1, 0, 0 (four 64-bit binary floating-point values)

>Item 3

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 3

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = FD

>>Selector FD Value (0072,0074) = 0, 0, 1, 0 (four 64-bit binary floating-point values)

>Item 4

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 4

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = FD

>>Selector FD Value (0072,0074) = 0, 0, 0, 1 (four 64-bit binary floating-point values)

Example 3. A four-column table, consisting of multiple (ten) measurements along an artery, as described in Section C.18.10.1.1 Example 3, could encode its values as follows:

>Cell Values Sequence (0040,A808)

>Item 1

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 1

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = DS

>>Selector DS Value (0072,0072) = 0\1\2\3 ...\9 (ten decimal string values)

>Item 2

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 2

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = DS

>>Selector DS Value (0072,0072) = 1.4\1.5\1.5\1.4 ...\1.2 (ten decimal string values)

>Item 3

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 3

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = DS

>>Selector DS Value (0072,0072) = 1.54\1.77\1.77\1.54 ...\1.13 (ten decimal string values)

>Item 4

>>Table Column Number (0040,A805) = 4

>>Selector Attribute VR (0072,0050) = DS

>>Selector DS Value (0072,0072) = 10\0\0\10 ...\20 (ten decimal string values)

C.18.10.1.3 Referenced Content Item Identifier

Instead of encoding a value for a cell or list of values for a row or column, a reference can be made to another Content Item.

For the structure and encoding of the Referenced Content Item Identifier (0040,DB73) Attribute, see Section C.17.3.2.5 and the definition of Referenced Content Item Identifier in Table C.17-6.

The reference mechanism allows the context of a cell value to be preserved. For example, if it is necessary to tabulate a list of measurements on regions of interest (ROIs), then each ROI and its associated measurements, descriptive codes, segmentation references, coordinates and image references can be encoded in the Content Tree in the normal manner, and references to the NUM Content Items that encode the measurements can be tabulated in a TABLE Content Item by using the Referenced Content Item Identifier (0040,DB73). Other cells in the table might reference other Content Items associated with the measurements, such as a tracking identifier or target anatomy or time point identifier.

Frequently, the description of the row or column (as described in Section C.18.10.1.1), will match the pre-coordinated concept name and units that describes a referenced Content Item. E.g., the same code can be used for the Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) and Measurement Units Code Sequence (0040,08EA) of the referenced NUM Content Item as for the corresponding Table Row Definition Sequence (0040,A806) or Table Column Definition Sequence (0040,A807). However, it may be that a referenced Content Item has a relatively complex post-coordinated description defined by related parent, sibling or child Content Items, in which case a more specific code may need to be used for the Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) in Table Row Definition Sequence (0040,A806) or Table Column Definition Sequence (0040,A807).

DICOM PS3.3 2024d - Information Object Definitions